Sisterhood
by RoyalDragoon
Summary: After tragedy leaves Weiss and Blake on Patch with no memories, they are taken in by Summer and Taiyang and raised alongside Ruby and Yang as sisters. Now the four girls go to Beacon to become the greatest Huntresses ever, but they will face many obstacles that will test their bonds. Grimm, criminals, terrorists and their own forgotten past. Includes Pollination and Juniper Berries
1. Chapter 1: A Perfect Storm

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY**

 **Chapter 1: A Perfect Storm**

A cold, nightly wind blew over the island of Patch, chilling anyone outside to the bone. A light pattering of rain fell down, but it was much less then what it had been earlier that night, when it had been a raging storm. A miserable night to be sure, but for the two current occupants of a certain cabin outside of the main town, that wasn't a problem. Their father had built this house with his own two hands and made sure that it was always warm and safe.

The younger of the two occupants, 3-year old Ruby Rose, was trying to look out the window by the living room. This was proving to be a difficult task, as even though she was on her tippy toes, she was still unable to reach high enough to see anything. Not that there was much to see, given that it was pitch black out, but the young toddler was determined.

"Ruby, you're going to hurt yourself. Come over here and sit by me." Ruby gave only a cute little grunt in response and continued her endeavor to see out the window.

5-year old Yang Xiao Long hopped off of the couch and went over to Ruby. She took her little sister's hand and pulled her away from the window.

"Nooooo…I want to look and see if Mommy and Daddy are coming back" Ruby whined and struggled but couldn't resist her big sister and was dragged back onto the couch. She continued to squirm around, but Yang had her in a tight grip.

"Ruby, stop it. Mommy and Daddy will be home soon, so let's sit here and wait" Yang was worried that Ruby would hurt herself and even at such young age, her protectiveness of Ruby was very strong.

Ruby struggled for bit before giving up. She wrapped her arms around Yang and buried her head into her sister's shoulder. She was still upset, and the various muffled sounds she was making let Yang know this, but she was willing to sit still for now.

Yang lightly kissed her little sister's head. She was worried that if Ruby kept at it, she would try to open the front door and go outside to find their parents. Even the youngest children on Remnant were told to be careful when going outside and to never do it at night.

Ruby settled more comfortably against Yang and, after a few minutes, fell fast asleep. Yang barely suppressed a yawn of her own. It was well past their bedtime and she wanted nothing more than to go back to her warm, soft bed and sleep, but she just couldn't right now. Not with Mommy and Daddy gone.

She didn't know what was going on; she and her sister had been put to bed and were sleeping soundly when a loud noise from downstairs woke the two up. Groggily, Yang got out of bed and walked towards her parents' room. The storm outside was raging quite loudly as well, scaring Yang a bit and she was hoping to sleep in her parents' bed for the night.

She found that the bed was empty and was still neat and tidy, meaning that her parents hadn't gone to bed yet. The lights were still on downstairs and she could hear the TV. Ruby had also gotten up and was anxious over where Mommy and Daddy were. Taking her hand, Yang went down the stairs to look.

A quick walk through the house showed that their parents were not home and Yang guessed that the loud noise she heard was the front door being slammed shut as they left.

Yang was a little mad at this; not only was she constantly being told not to slam doors shut, she always had to go to bed on time no matter how much she wanted to stay up. She got that adults got to stay up late and stuff, but to her young child mind it all seems grossly unfair.

Anger quickly gave way to concern as she realized that she and Ruby were now completely alone in the house during a stormy night. While all the lights were on, it was still eerie to the children and neither really wanted to go back upstairs and sleep knowing that their parents were not at home.

So they decided to wait downstairs for them to return; they couldn't be gone for very long. So they stayed down in the living room, playing with the games and toys that had been left down there during the day.

But they could only play around for so long; while the storm quickly died down it was still unsettling and just plain not fun as during the day. Their parents' absence and the lateness of the hour served to make them too upset and cranky to really focus on having fun. They just really wanted their parents back, hence Ruby insistence on trying to look out the window in the hope that she could find her them.

Sitting on the couch now, with her little sister sleeping soundly against her, Yang felt her eyelid begin to droop. As much as being in the house without their parents bothered her, the sheer weight of her exhaustion was too much for her. In a vain attempt to stay awake, she tried to focus on what was being showed on the TV; more on the various colours and shapes being shown rather then what was being said.

A news program was being shown, the same one that had been on when they first came downstairs. Yang had thought about changing the channel, to see if any of her favorite cartoons were on, but her Daddy always told her not to change the channel without permission first. She didn't really understand what the news lady was saying, but she guessed it was important. She tried to listen as her eyes slowly started to close.

"This is Lisa Lavender, bringing you an update on the ongoing situation off the coast of Vale. As previously reported, a large collision between two ships has taken place in the stretch of water between Vale proper and island of Patch. We can confirm that the ships were the _Light of the North_ , a cruise ship from Atlas and _The Cat's Paw_ , a passenger ship coming from the Menagerie."

"The ships entered the channel from opposite ends and were making their way to Vale's docks when a fierce storm suddenly blew in. Both ships were blown off course and collided just off of Patch. A fire started on _The Cat's Paw_ and quickly spread across both ships. A few minutes after the fire started, an explosion ripped _The Cat's Paw_ apart and engulfed the _Light of the North_ , causing both ships to quickly sink. The cause of the explosion is currently unknown."

"Initial rescue attempts were hampered by the adverse weather conditions, though with the storm now subsiding, rescue boats and Bullheads have been dispatched to look for survivors. Coordination has been made more difficult due to the CCT system being offline for maintenance, forcing older radio systems to be used instead. Given the size of the explosion and how fast it happened after the initial collision, there is skepticism that any survivors will be found but Vale authorities have urged people not to give up hope. No confirm number or manifest on the passengers of either ship has been released, but the estimate number of people on board is believed to be in the hundreds."

"This is Lisa Lavender, bringing you the latest updates. Stay tune for more information as…"

Yang didn't hear the rest as sleep finally overcame her. Her head rolled over top of Ruby's, who barely stirred from her own slumber. It was well and truly past the two children bedtime and neither could do anything to resist their body's call for rest. So for the next while, the two sisters slept next to each other of the couch, heedless of the news on the T.V or the greater tragedy that was playing out near their hometown.

The girls' sleep was again interrupted by a loud noise and from the same source as before; the front door being used with far too much force. As the door was right behind the couch, the sound was very loud and startling, making the two girls practically jump as they woke up. Ruby immediately latched firmly onto Yang, tears forming in her eyes and her breathing started to quicken, indicating that she was on the verge of crying.

Yang's sisterly instincts kicked in and she immediately hugged Ruby back and tried to calm her down. She only had a few moments to do this before the sounds of heavy footstep behind her entering the house. For a moment she was afraid that strange people had broken in, but turning her head she saw the blond hair of her father and long white cloak of her mother rushing by.

The two adults ran right past the living room, not even glancing towards the girls on the couch and headed towards the kitchen. Yang didn't have a chance to call out before her father reached the kitchen table and swept everything off the top. A couple of plates and cups were tossed onto the floor, one of them breaking with a loud crash.

Yang was very surprised by this and felt her child's indignation rising again. She had been told over and over not to make a mess in the kitchen, yet here was her father making a bigger mess then she had ever made.

The reason for her father's actions was made clear when, after clearing the table, he laid something gently onto the table. Yang hadn't noticed that he had been carrying something in his arms when he had rushed on in. Her mother was also carrying something as well and placed it on the table too. She couldn`t see what it was, as both adults were blocking her view of the tabletop.

Summer moved off to the side for a second, returning with a white box in her hands. Yang knew what that was; it was the box that her parents got when either she or Ruby got a boo-boo. Without fail, when Mommy put a Band-Aid on a cut or scratch and kissed it, the pain went away.

But her mother wasn`t handling the white box with any kind of care or tenderness; instead she almost slammed it down onto the table and roughly opened it and began pulling lots of things out of it. Yang had seen some of those things inside of the white box besides the Band-Aids, but she couldn`t fathom how hurt you had to be to require all of that.

Yang was getting very confused and scared by what was happening. Grabbing Ruby`s hand, she quietly hopped off the couch and the two children slowly walked towards the kitchen. Their parents were speaking to each other but she couldn`t really understand what they were saying, only that whatever it was they were discussing, it was very urgent.

It was when Yang and Ruby had just reached the threshold to the kitchen that their parents suddenly turned around to face them. While the sudden movement was enough stop the two in their tracks, but it was the look in their parents` eyes that made them completely freeze.

It was a look of pure intensity and focus. Her mother's eyes looked to be almost glowing and both looked like they were a moment away from attacking. Their bodies and arms moved instantly to block the table, almost like they were protecting what was on it.

Yang's heart almost stopped beating for a second; she had never felt such an intense, overwhelming feeling in her young life. Her body started shaking uncontrollably and she felt Ruby cling to her with all her might.

It all lasted less than a second, as with a single blink of their eyes their parents' gaze was back to normal; filled with concern and confusion rather than this intense hostility.

"Yang, what are you and Ruby doing out of bed this late?"

Yang tried to answer her father's question, tried to explain that a loud noise woke them up and when they couldn't find them they decided to stay up. She tried to explain it all, but couldn't get anything out; all she could do was sob uncontrollably as tears began to fall down her cheeks. Ruby was already beginning to wail loudly and Yang wasn't far behind.

A pair of strong arms embraced the two crying girls; they knew instantly that it was their father. They threw their arms around his neck and buried their faces in his chest, Yang trying to croak out an apology.

"Shhhhhh, it's okay, it's alright. Mommy and Daddy aren't mad; you just…surprised us. Don't cry, don't cry…" Their father's words were soft and soothing, those of a loving parent calming down their children. He effortlessly lifted his daughters up in his arms and stood up; holding them close as he gently swayed them back and forth. This was the main method he used to calm the girls down when they started crying.

It started to work after a few minutes, with the girls' loud sobs growing quieter as they settled down. Yang messily wiped her eyes and nose on her father's shoulder before looking up again; his smiling face helped put to rest that she hadn't done something wrong. Looking over his shoulder, Yang got a clear view on the table and what was on it.

To her shock and surprise, there were two girls lying unconscious on the kitchen table. They appeared to be about her age; one had hair that was pure white while the other's was pitch black. Amazingly, there looked to be two cat ears on top of the black-haired girl's head. Yang thought at first they had to be attached to some kind of hairband, but the occasional twitch they did proved that they were real.

Yang had never seen such a thing before, a person with cat ears, and she quickly looked over to the other girl to see if she had something similar on her head.

What she saw was not as fun or exciting; it was horrifying. Looking closer, she saw that there were streaks of red in the girl's white hair and that her right eye was covered in a splatter of flowing blood. A closer look at the cat-girl showed that there was blood tripping down her head as well and falling onto the table.

It wasn't a large amount of blood and certainly not life-threatening, but the young girl had never seen that much blood on a person before and it was very scary to see. She buried her face in her father's shoulder, not wanting to look at it anymore.

Ruby also got a good look at the two girls as well and was staring at them, blood and all, with an intense fasciation that was out of place for such a young child.

The girls' father realized what had happened and quickly moved back to the living room, away from the scene in the kitchen. He was about to place them both on the couch, but decided against it, as it would still give the children a view of the kitchen. He instead placed them on one of the chairs set off to the side; it was big enough that the two could fit on it comfortably. He knelt down in front of them and gently wiped away the last few tears off their faces.

"Daddy…" Yang's voice was very quiet, almost a whisper. "Are those girls…are they going to…" she trailed off, unable to finish what she was saying.

"No sweetie, those two are going to be just fine. Mommy and Daddy are going to make sure that they will be alright." He gave his most reassuring smile, which seemed to work.

"Daddy, were those girls being bad?" Ruby's innocent question was met by honest confusion on her father's face. "Because they were outside after bedtime and you said that only bad girls leave the house after dark."

"No, no, no. They were just…unlucky. They got caught outside in the storm and got hurt; it wasn't their fault at all. Mommy and Daddy went out to see if anyone needed any help. And what do you do if you find someone who needs help?" He looked at his daughters intently, expecting the right answer.

"You help them!" Ruby answered.

"That's right my Special Little Rose. You help them, no matter what." It was a simple answer to a simple question, but one their father made sure they knew. Ruby smiled at praise and the pat on the head he gave her.

"Now…" their father said, getting serious, "Your Mommy and I need to help those girls get better. I have something very important I need you two to do. I need my Sunny Little Dragon and my Special Little Rose to sit right here and not move until we say so. Can you do that for me?"

The two girls looked at each other before turning back to their father and nodding. They may have been young, but they knew when things were serious.

Their father kissed them both on the forehead before getting up. He would have preferred putting them back into their bedroom, but he couldn't be absolutely sure that they would stay there with all the excitement going on. Better to keep them closer where he could more easily keep an eye on them while also having them out of the way.

Summer Rose looked up from her task of bandaging the white-haired girls head as her husband re-entered the kitchen. She watched closely as he walked up to the table and started raising his arm, his hand clenched into a fist. His eyes were blazing with anger and he was almost shaking.

When his fist was brought down onto the table, it wasn't with a thunderous clash but only a soft tap against the wooden surface. With Taiyang's strength, he could have smash the table and the entire room with a single blow easily, but that was not what was on his mind. The intense anger was not directed on anyone or anything, but was instead aimed at himself.

In his own mind, Taiyang had committed one of the worst sins imaginable; he had made his daughters cry. They had been absolutely terrified, through no fault of their own, and it was his fault. A parent was supposed to make their children feel safe, not make them scared. All he wanted to do was punch, hit and destroy everything, especially himself.

Summer reached out and grabbed his shaking fist, causing him to look up at her. In her eyes was the same anger and self-loathing that was coursing through him, but it was tampered with the need to focus on the task at hand. It wasn't their fault; they were so focused on helping the two girls they found washed up on the shore, that when they heard someone coming up behind them, they assumed it was an enemy and their Huntsmen instincts took over.

It was stupid of them, not checking if their own children were okay after leaving them alone all of a sudden and instead scaring the life out of them. It was careless and unforgivable of them, but they had a job to do right now. They would make it up to Ruby and Yang later; now they had two injured girls who needed to be tended to.

Summer's look and touch was all that was needed to calm Taiyang down and let go of his anger for now. It was one of the things that he loved about her; that she could calm him down and sees reason no matter what the situation.

It was the exact opposite of Raven, who could without fail light his emotions on fire, for both good and bad.

Taiyang nodded and began working on the Faunus girl, examining her head wound before cleaning the blood and bandaging it. After several minutes of silent and diligent work, the two girls were fully bandaged and as fixed up as best as they could be. Both had bandages wrapped around their head and the white-haired girl has one covering her left eye. Smaller bindings and Band-Aids covered the numerous but less serious cuts and scrapes on their arms and legs.

All in all, they were in much better shape Taiyang and Summer had feared when they found them washed up on the shore as the storm was dying down. They both had similar wounds on their heads, but it looked like they weren't very deep or serious. The wound on the white-hair girl's face had also thankfully missed the eye. That was good, since the clinic on the island couldn't handle critical cases and it was impossible to get to Vale as the weather was still too poor for travel by air or boat.

The strangest thing was that, although very faint, the two veteran Huntsmen could tell that both of the girls had their Auras unlocked. That was unthinkable of someone so young. It took years of hard-training for most inspiring Huntsmen to unlock their Auras. For someone so young to have it, it would take both a strong inner spirit and the experience of a harrowing, traumatic event.

Tonight's incident certainly counted as traumatic and it was almost certain now that it was the timely unlocking of the girls' Auras that had saved them from the explosion that had enveloped the two ships. It hadn't been enough to protect them from whatever had caused their head wounds and it wouldn't be enough to prevent scarring, but it had saved their lives.

Their musing on the girl's survival was cut short as the white-haired one started to stir. Her good eye fluttered open and she began to slowly sit up. She noticed that she was blind on one side and started to paw at the bandages over he left eye.

"No honey, don't do that." Summer reached out and gently grabbed the girl's hand to stop her. The girl looked up at Summer, eyes widening before looking around frantic.

"Wh-Who are you? Where am I? Where are Mother and Father?" the girl started to panic and tried to pull her hand away. Summer's grip became just firm enough to stop her without it hurting.

"It's okay…it's alright. You're safe now; everything is going to be all right. It's okay…" Summer's voice was soft and soothing, calming the girl down quickly. She looked in Summer's bright silver eyes and seemed to just know that the woman was speaking the truth. Summer's other hand reached out and began gently stroking the girl's head, being careful of her injury, and waited as the girl's breathing went back to normal.

Taiyang watched it all with smile on his face. That was another amazing thing about Summer, how good she was with kids. She just seemed to now just the thing to do or the words to say to calm a crying child down and bring a smile to their face. She had often said that she loved kids while they were studying at Beacon and that she wanted a large family one day.

Though, after Ruby, that specific dream wasn't likely to possible anymore.

After the girl had calmed down enough, Summer lend down so she was eye level with her. "Now sweetie, can you tell me your name?"

The girl looked down at the question, her right hand gripping her tattered dress. A long minute passed and the adults were beginning to think she wasn't going to answer and that a different approach was needed when she quietly answered.

"Weiss… My name is Weiss." Her voice was barely above a whisper and her face had an intense look of concentration as she spoke.

"That's a very lovely name Weiss. Can you tell me your last name? Or who your parents are? That will help us get you back home quickly." Summer gave her best smile, hoping to coax more out of her.

Weiss didn't look up and simply gripped her dress tighter before speaking again.

"I don't know. I can't remember who my parents are or where my home is. I can't remember anything. I can't…I…can't…" the last words were given so softly that it was barely audible. Weiss suddenly threw her head back and gave a loud wail, tears streaming down her face. That sound was one of utter despair; of a child who was completely lost and afraid.

It was bone-chilling for the two parents to hear and it shocked them for a moment. Summer recovered and immediately wrapped her arms around Weiss, holding her close and trying to comfort her. Taiyang could only stand and watch, wanting comfort this girl as well but knowing that there was little he could do that Summer couldn't.

A gasp of surprise made Taiyang turn away from the scene at the other end of the table and see that the other girl was awake. Bright yellow eyes were glancing around in fear and confusion and her cat ears were twitching. She saw that Taiyang was now looking at her and started to crawl backwards away from him. Not realizing where she was, she quickly ran out of space on the table and was about to pitch over the side backwards.

Taiyang's quick reflexes saved the girl from getting even more hurt, catching her quickly and lifting her up into his arms. The sudden sensation of falling and then being picked up did little to calm the girl down and she started squirming and struggling in Taiyang's hold.

"Where am I?" the girl said, her fear evident. "Who are you? Where's my Momma? I want my Momma!"

Taiyang glanced over to Summer, hoping she could help him. Unfortunately her hands were still full with the crying Weiss, leaving him on his own. Summoning all the experience 5 years of parenting had given him; Taiyang relaxed his hold on the girl a little bit and spoke softly.

"It's okay, you're safe now. No one is going to hurt you. My name's Tai…can you tell me yours?"

The girl looked up at him, eyes still wide. She simply stared at him for a moment before deciding that he was being genuine and wasn't going to hurt her.

"Blake…My name is Blake."

"It's very nice to meet you Blake. Now, I want to help you get back to you family as soon as possible; can you tell me who and where they are?"

Black opened her mouth to answer, but didn't say anything. She closed it and looked down, her eyes narrowing in concentration before widening.

"I…I can't remember. I can't remember my Poppa or my Momma. I know I have them, but I can't remember what they look like. I can't…"

Taiyang instantly hugged the girl tightly, just before her quiet words of confusion turned into a wail of sadness on par with Weiss's. Her cries were muffled by Taiyang's shirt, but it did little to protect his heart from being torn apart. He looked over to Summer and the two exchanged a look as the another part of tonight tragedy started to sink in.

Two little girls, cast out by a natural disaster and were, for all intents and purposes, alone in the world. The crushing despair of thinking you were all alone with no one to care about you was something Summer was well acquainted with and even Taiyang had a brief brush with it when Raven left.

Both adults had escaped from that black pit with the help of others and they weren't going to abandon these two girls to that fate. Taiyang and Summer held their respective charge closer and vowed there and then to do everything in their power to help them find their way home.

* * *

It took quite a while before the two girls finally stopped crying. After double checking they were okay, the girls were place on the ground. They were a little unsteady on their feet, but luckily they didn't fall down. Taking their hands, Summer led the two girls out of the kitchen with Taiyang right behind them.

Yang and Ruby were still sitting in the chair, concern and a thousand questions on their faces. They had heard the crying coming from the kitchen, but had remained seated just like they were told to. They stared at Weiss and Blake intently, not sure what make of the two strange girls.

Summer introduced the girls; calmly explaining that they would be staying with them for the next little while and that should try and get along. Summer's attempt to get Weiss and Blake to say hello to Yang and Ruby were met with downward looks and an awkward silence.

Ever patient, Summer asked Yang if it would be okay if she could lend some of her clothes to Weiss and Blake, as their clothes were all tattered and wet. She was so proud of Yang when she agreed without question; it would have been reasonable to assume that a 5-year-old like her would have gotten very fussing at the notion of sharing her things with strangers. But even someone so young knew when things were serious and she had been taught to always help those in needs.

Summer led the girls upstairs to the bathroom to clean them up with a gentle sponge bath. Taiyang stayed behind for a while, making sure Yang and Ruby were okay and catching the latest news update on the TV. When he got what he wanted, he went upstairs as well; first going into the girl's room to get some of Yang's clothes before going to help Summer.

After they were finished and Blake and Weiss had new, dry clothes on, Taiyang gathered up their old clothes to put into the dryer. He took the time to really look at them, noting the simple design of Blake's black shirt and shorts and the rich embroidery on Weiss's white dress. Their physical appearances said a lot, but this helped to sort out which ship each girl had been on and by extension where they had originally come from.

Black and Weiss were led back downstairs, their expression and demeanor having not change at all, and were place next to each other in the middle of the couch. Summer went into the kitchen and quickly made 4 cups of hot chocolate for the girls. She and Taiyang handed them out, with Summer assuring Ruby that she had indeed remembered to put extra milk in hers. Taiyang gave Weiss and Blake theirs, urging them to drink at least some of it.

The two didn't look up or response, but to Taiyang's relief they did raise the cups up and took a few small sips. After making sure all the girls were taken care of, he and Summer went back into the kitchen to start cleaning up.

For the next several minutes, only the sounds of hot chocolate being consumed filled the living room; loudly by Ruby and more softly by the other three. Yang kept a close eye on these new girls, not sure what to think about them. She understood that something really bad had happened to them and not knowing your family was the scariest thing Yang could think of, but them just sitting there doing nothing just didn't seem right to her.

Heedless of the atmosphere, Ruby happily drank all the hot chocolate in her mug, which was only warm due to the extra milk she had in it. She sighed contently, wiping the chocolate mustache she had acquired off her face before turning to look at the new girls on the couch.

She only stared at them for a few moments before silently nodding to herself and hopping off the chair, making sure to place her empty mug on the coffee table. Yang was so focused on her own observation that she didn't immediately noticed Ruby's sudden absence from her side. When she did and hopped off the chair to follow her, Ruby was already across the room and crawling up the stairs to their room.

Yang thought about following her, but decided against it. Putting her own half-empty cup on the table, she decided to get a closer look at still silent girls sitting on the couch.

Both were unlike anyone else she had seen on Patch. She had only ever seen really old people have white hair, but Weiss's was of such a bright and brilliant colour, like freshly fallen snow. And Blake had honest to goodness cat ears on top of her head. It was almost like something out of a fairy tale or one of the cartoons she watched with Ruby.

So it seem really out of place that such exotic and magical looking kids should still be looking so downcast. Yang didn't like it at all and when she came across something she didn't like, she would try and change it.

Standing in front of the couch with her hands on her hips, Yang confidently introduced herself personally to the girls, stating that she hoped they could be friends and have lots of fun together.

She got no response at all, Weiss and Blake continuing to stare into their mugs. There was no hello back, no thank you for letting them wear _her_ clothes. This was very aggravating to Yang, who absolutely hated being ignored. She understood the situation as well as a young child could, but this was too much for her. The miffed blonde decided to take an even more direct approach.

Yang moved to the side of the couch Blake was on and climbed up into the empty space next to her. The cat-girl didn't look up as Yang got right up next to her, or when she started to raise her hands.

She did finally have a reaction when Yang quickly reached out and took hold of her cat ears. Blake sat up straight with a jolt, barely able to supress a scream and just managed to not her cup of hot chocolate.

Yang was happy that she finally got to react to something and she really liked how soft her ears felt. What she wasn't happy about was how, instead of yelling and telling her to stop, Blake just cringed inward, drawing her body closer together and trying to become as small as possible

"Please…" her voice was only a soft whisper, "don't hurt me."

This greatly confused Yang; this wasn't what she wanted at all.

"Why would I want to hurt you? I just want to be friends." Yang relaxed her grip on Blake's ears, but didn't let go.

"Because…that what people do to Faunus like me; they hurt you and say mean things."

"Why?"

Blake turned to look at Yang, her look of confusion mirrored in the face of the blonde girl.

"Because…that just what most people do…" Blake's answer was far from convincing even to herself. She didn't know why she thought that was the case; it was a pretty dark way to think about the world. She knew she was a Faunus and that made her different from humans, but why did that automatically mean that they would want to hurt her?

Did someone tell her that? She couldn't remember…

"Well," Yang's voice brought Blake back to the present, "I'm not 'most people'; I'm Yang! I promise I won't hurt you. I want to be friends with you."

Yang settled down right beside Blake, one hand still rubbing her around her left ear. Blake look at her bright, smiling face and couldn't help but know that she was telling the truth. She responded with a small smile of her own, which made Yang smile even bigger.

During this exchange, Weiss had kept her eyes down, only looking to the side when Blake suddenly jerked up. She listened to what she and Yang were saying with only half an ear; it really didn't matter to her. Nothing seemed to matter to her at all in this moment.

Weiss felt something climb onto the empty space to the right of her and with was it little interest that she looked up and saw a Beowolf was right in her face.

Weiss sat up lightning fast and was about to scream when she noticed that their Beowolf looked wrong. Even a child as young as her knew what the basic breeds of Grimm looked like and Weiss was able to spot several key differences.

First was that this Grimm was very small, too small. Second was the lack of any sort of snarls or growls that were typical of a blood-thirsty monster. The beasts red eyes, while present, lack the glow associated with the creatures of darkness. Finally, the monster looked far more plushy and soft then it should have been.

The Beowolf plushie moved off the side, revealing the bright silver eyes of Ruby.

"Hello! I'm Ruby and this is my favorite stuffed toy, Wolfie." Ruby held the toy animal in front of her, offering it to Weiss. The white-haired looked back and forth between Ruby and the toy, unsure of what to do.

"When I feel scared or sad, Wolfie helps me feel better. I know something bad happened to you and that you're feeling really sad right now, so you can have Wolfie. I promise he'll make you feel better." Ruby finished her explanation with a big smile on her face and held her favorite toy before Weiss, asking her to take it.

With a bit of hesitation, Weiss took hold of the plushie. It was very soft to the touch and she had to admit it did look really cute despite being based off an evil monster. In fact, seeing that something that was normally horrifying turned into something adorable honestly made her feel a little bit better. Weiss felt a small smile coming to her face.

Yang and Blake had been watching had been watching this exchange, with Yang being very proud of her little sister actions. That stuffed animal was Ruby's favorite and yet she was so willing to give it up to someone who needed it more.

"Hey Blake" Yang's words made the Faunus turn her head back to her, "is there anything I can get for you; to make you feel better?"

Blake thought for a moment; there was a lot that she wanted, not the least was to know who her parents were. But Yang couldn't help with that, so she thought of something else she could do right now.

"I'm…I'm a little cold" Blake answered. The temperate of the living room was quite warm, but there was a chill deep inside of her that just refused to go away.

Yang nodded and, instead of going to get a blanket or something like Blake expected, wrapped her arms around the cat-girl.

"This is what I do when Ruby gets cold at night. Do you feel warmer now?"

Blake was shocked at being suddenly embraced, but after a moment she realized she was feeling warmer now. It was odd that neither of the two adults could make the coldness she felt inside go away with any of their words or actions, but Yang was with just a simple hug.

Blake looked to the side and say that Ruby had done the same to Weiss, wrapping her small arms around the older girl. The same look of surprise was on her face, which slowly started to turn into an expression of peacefulness.

Both girls suddenly felt very sleepy and their eyes began to droop. The last few hours had been nothing short of traumatic for them, with them experiencing a wide array of negative emotions.

But now a sense of peace was settling over them and now, being in the embrace of Ruby and Yang, they felt they could finally rest easy for the moment.

* * *

In the kitchen, Taiyang and Summer were busy cleaning up the mess they had made. Summer was putting the unused bandages back into the first-aid box while Taiyang carefully picked up broken pieces of glass on the floor. Once he was sure if got all of them, he dropped them into the garbage can. He walked over to the kitchen counter were Summer was and let out a big sigh.

"This is one big mess, isn't it?" Summer didn't look up immediately, instead finishing her task and closing the first-aid box. When it was done, she turned around and leaned against the counter, tilting her head towards Taiyang.

"The worst storm in a decade hits Vale and wrecks two passenger ships right after the worst sandstorm in 50 years hits Vacuo and knocks the CCT out of commission. With all the radio channels being used for the rescue effort, it could be weeks before we can contact Ozpin or Qrow, wherever he is now." The strain of obvious in Taiyang's voice, but he was able to keep his volume low. What he was saying wasn't anything Summer hadn't already thought of, but that wasn't the point; he just needed to vent for the moment.

"And that ship from Menagerie, suddenly blowing up? That ship was smuggling Burn Dust I tell you. With the Schnee Dust Company expanding their monopoly, more and more smaller businesses are turning to smugglers to get their shipments. That ship probably took on passengers just as a way to hide it all." Taiyang's voice was barely above a growl and it looked like he was inches away from punching the countertop.

Summer nodded and continued to stare at the kitchen wall, organizing her thoughts. It was just so unfair, that these two girls had to suffer and all those people had to die because of a series of forces beyond their control. While on the outside she appeared calmer then Taiyang, inside her anger at it all was boiling.

After several seconds of tense silence, Summer spoke.

"It's going to take some time before we can get into contact with Ozpin. Beside the CCT being down, he's going to be busy dealing with this situation and the fallout for the foreseeable future. And those girls…" Summer took a deep breathe to calm herself.

"Those girls are probably the only survivors from the two ships; with how fast everything happened, it a miracle that they survived at all. The news is already reporting that there are no survivors and if we show up weeks later and claim to have found two girls who did survive…"

"The house would become a media circus" Taiyang finished, his face set into a grimace. With everything that had happened to them, having a bunch of reporters and camera swarming over Blake and Weiss was the last thing he wanted.

"But going public is probably the best way to find their family, if they have any left." Taiyang straightened up and looked over at Summer. He saw a particular look in her eye, one he hadn't seen in a while.

"Or…we could handle this ourselves. We contact Qrow when we can, but otherwise we keep this confidential. We look after the girls here while also investigating where they may have come from and try to find any surviving family they may have." She looked over at Taiyang, her eyes bright and determined. "It will be a mission for just Team STRQ, just like the old days".

Taiyang didn't miss the wistful tone in her voice and was just able stop himself from making a face. They both knew things would never be like they were before; Team STRQ was down one member and Raven wasn't coming back.

But maybe it was better to keep things quiet, at least for the short-term. It would be better for Blake and Weiss to be out of the public eye until they recovered somewhat. It they could locate their families on their own, that would be great, but if not they could always go to Ozpin for help.

"Okay, okay; how do we go about this?" Taiyang couldn't keep the smile off his face as the shorter women's face lit up before she immediately got down to business.

"First, one ship came from Atlas and the other from the Menagerie. I think it's clear which one came from which ship. Blake being a Faunus makes her being from Menagerie very likely and Weiss's hair and eye colour are common to Atlas. Plus, the Atlesian ship was a fancy, upper class liner and Weiss's dress was of a very expensive make."

Taiyang nodded; it wasn't a lot to go on, but it was a start at least.

Summer continued.

"When the CCT is back up, we can start looking into Vale's database for more information. We'll follow the official investigation that sure to be launched, though I doubt they'll find much. If they can find a passenger manifest for either ship, that would be great, but I'm worried they won't find one. _The Cat's Paw_ may not have had one or had a falsified one to help hide their smuggling and the _Light of the North_ may have its hidden away; you never know what shady dealings a group of business and political elites may have been up too."

Taiyang grimaced; they had the girl's first names, so if they could get a list of the passengers and found them on it, it would be easy to find out who they were. But it almost seemed like Fate was conspiring to make this task far more difficult.

Still, despite everything, Taiyang was happy with how Summer was dealing with everything. She had started to pace while explaining what they could do and now had her hand under her chin in deep thought. He could almost hear the gears in her head turning as she tried figure everything they would need to do to complete this task.

She looked like the great and hard-working team leader she had been back at Beacon.

Summer had always said how much she wanted a family and to be a mother, and she deeply loved caring for Yang and Ruby; but it had still been a sacrifice on her part to stay home and effectively be just a homemaker. She had trained for years to be a Huntress and was one of the best to ever graduate from Beacon. She was in her element when she was out protecting people and slaying Grimm.

This was only a temporary arrangement; they had agreed that Summer would stay home full-time until the girls were old enough and then she would start going out on missions again. That time wasn't too far off now, but Taiyang knew she was itching to get back out there. That may be one reason why she wanted just them to handle finding out where Blake and Weiss had come from.

Either way, they would take care of those lost girls as best as they could.

"Anyway, there not much more we can do tonight." Summer stopped her pacing at Taiyang's words. "Right now we need to get some beds set up for those girls and take them to the clinic in the morning to make sure they haven't suffered any major injuries."

Summer nodded at Taiyang's suggestion; it was best to take things one at a time for the moment.

"I hope Ruby and Yang can get along with Blake and Weiss. They could be staying with us for a while and suddenly having two other girls living with them will be a big change." A big sigh escaped from Taiyang as he realized that they had been neglecting to consider how this situation would affect their own children.

Summer gave a smile to Taiyang as she started walking toward the entrance to the living room. He was always worrying too much about everything; it was one of the things she loved about him.

"Don't worry. I am sure everything…will…be…fine…" Summer voice trailed off as she entered the threshold and looked into the living room.

"What it is?" Taiyang hurried up next to Summer, worried about what was going on. When he stepped up next to her and took in the sight, he understood why she was speechless.

Blake and Weiss were still sitting on the couch with their mugs of hot chocolate in their hands, but they had both fallen asleep. They were leaning against each other, resting the side of their heads against the other. The expression on their face was one of peace, something they had lack since they had been found.

But more importantly was that Ruby and Yang were on the couch as well, having also fallen asleep. Yang had her arms wrapped around Blake, her head on her shoulder and her golden hair was covering much of the Faunus's upper body. Ruby had her head on Weiss's lap, using her favorite stuffed animal as a pillow.

It was perhaps the most adorable sight Taiyang had ever seen and he understood why Summer had been stuck speechless by it.

Taiyang looked over at his love and noticed that she was looking at the scene with an intense look that he had rarely seen before. Her hands were clenched tight and it seemed like she was muttering something to herself.

"Washed up… almost at our doorsteps…all alone…a perfect storm…almost like it was meant to…"

"Summer, you alright?"

She didn't respond to the question, instead wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head on his shoulder. Taiyang was more than a little confused, but decided not to worry and instead enjoyed this moment.

The two adults watched the slumbering children for several more minutes before moving. Summer carefully took the now cold mugs of hot chocolate out of Weiss and Blake's grasp and placed them on the coffee table while Taiyang went upstairs to get some blankets.

As the children were tucked in for the night, the adults started to realize something deep down, Summer more so then Taiyang; that their little family on Patch had just gotten a little bit bigger.

What neither adult realized was that the four small children sleeping on the couch would become the greatest team of Huntresses that Remnant had ever seen.

* * *

 **That's it for the first chapter of my newest story. This one will probably take a back seat to** _ **Dark Valkyrie**_ **, but I wanted to get the first chapter out now. The initial idea for this story is based on watching several Youtube reactions to the Yellow trailer and noticing that more than one person wondering at the end if all four members of Team RWBY were sisters. This story is going to explore the notion that Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang all grew up together and see each other as sisters.**

 **My plan is for a Team RWBY/Pollination pairing, but I'm undecided on how far or explicit I will take it. I'm open to suggestion on pairings and on where to take the story. The biggest issue is that without Blake being connected to the White Fang, there isn't as much reason for Team RWBY to go snooping and end up fighting Torchwick. Any ideas are appreciated.**

 **As for** _ **Dark Valkyrie**_ **, I not only ask you to go check that out, but also ask for your guy's opinion on what the name of the Nora-led Team JNPR should be. My favorites are VNLA (Vanilla) and VLAN (Vermillion). Both follow the Colour Naming Scheme and both are descriptive in a way of Nora's character, both where it is now and where it will be going. If you could give your thoughts and suggestions, either in a review here, on** _ **Dark Valkyrie**_ **, or thought a PM, I would appreciate it.**

 **As always, thanks for reading, leave a review and I'll see you next time.**


	2. Chapter 2 : New Beginnings

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own RWBY.**

 **Chapter 2: New Beginnings**

As the years wore on, the little cabin on Patch grew bigger, to accommodate the newest members of the family. Blake and Weiss were well taken care of; each of their days there was filled with love and warmth, quickly replacing the despair that felt on that stormy night. Yang and Ruby were more than happy to be having two new friends to play with every day, when they finally opened up.

And they did open up, accepting their saviors as their new family. It was only a year after the incident that the four girls started to refer to themselves as sisters and soon after that Blake and Weiss began referring to Summer and Taiyang as their mother and father.

It seemed like the girls' childhoods would be perfect, but life can be very cruel at times. 5 years after taking Weiss and Blake in, Summer Rose took on a mission outside of Vale and never returned.

To say this was heart-breaking was an understatement; Summer was very much the heart and soul of the family. For Weiss and Blake, they had lost a mother for the second time and Taiyang lost a lover once again. A very dark and pain-filled time descended onto the Xiao Long house.

But Taiyang still had his four daughters to care for and the Ruby, Yang, Weiss and Blake had each other to lean on. Eventually, the family pulled itself from that dark pit and smiles were once again the norm.

So, it may seem strange that, in a house usually filled with happiness and the good-natured actions of a loving family, that 15-year old Ruby Xiao Long-Rose was all alone in her room, with the lights turned off and crying her eyes out.

This wasn't something she wanted to do or feel. Just a few weeks ago, she had been right beside her dad, cheering as loud as she could as her older sisters walked across the stage and graduated from Signal Academy. She was so proud of all three of them, graduating at the top of their class and with many of the teachers commenting on how they may be some of the best to ever come from the Academy.

But as they days wore on her happiness for her sisters began to wane and to her shame it was due to entirely selfish reasons. Yang, Blake and Weiss had all applied to Beacon Academy and she knew they were practically guaranteed to get accepted; they had been trained by the best. But Beacon was in Vale and Ruby was going to be staying in Patch. Both were in the same Kingdom, but it didn't change the fact that her sisters were going to be someplace where she wasn't.

Ruby knew she was being childish; this was her sisters' dream and she had no right to complain. Beacon wasn't that far and she could easily visit whenever she had the free time.

But those three girls had been with her for the last 12 years; she could barely remember a time when the four of them hadn't been together. Every day she woke up and spent her days with her sisters by her side and now, with them leaving, that wouldn't be the case anymore.

And that scared her.

She had been taught that more than any building, it was family that made a place home; as long as she was with her family, she would always be home. But with her sisters leaving, she was effectively losing her home.

That seemed silly; the house she was in right now wasn't going anywhere and her father was still here, but her sisters were everything. They did everything together, from cooking, cleaning, studying and getting into all kinds of trouble. To go from that to being just by herself was terrifying. She could feel the darkness, the one she had first felt when her mother had died and that her sisters had help keep away, slowly creeping back in.

She didn't want to be like this; she wanted to be a big girl who didn't need to rely on her big sisters but she could help it. She loved them so much and the thought of losing them, even in this limited sort of way was just…

"Ruby, are you in there?" Yang's voice was accompanied by a loud knock on her door. Ruby gripped her pillow tighter and curled up more on her bed instead of answering. As much as she didn't want her sisters to leave, they were the last people she wanted to see right now.

A series of louder, more insistent knocked followed.

"Ruby, open the door! You've been in there for hours and we're worried." A different voice came from behind the door this time and, despite it being a bit muffled, it was clearly Weiss's. Ruby said nothing, pulling her headphones over her ears.

The door knob rattled as someone on the other side tried to open the door, only to find it locked. That alone would let Ruby's sisters know that something was wrong. There were no locked doors in the Xiao Long house; the four sisters shared everything and never closed their doors to each other. That Ruby had locked her door and refused to come out meant that something was very wrong.

Ruby could just make out her sisters talking in low voices behind the door before the doorknob started to move again, much slower and deliberate this time. Ruby quickly realized what it was in spite of her frayed mental state; Blake was picking the lock on the door.

The lock on Ruby's door would prove little challenge to Patch's resident cat-burglar. She had first practiced on every lock in the house multiple times before she started any of her little 'heists', so this proved no trouble for her.

Ruby realized that she should have put a chair in front of the door if she really didn't want anyone to disturb her. That would have been pointless though, as Yang would have simply busted the door down. If she had tried to really fortify the door by moving her dresser in front of it, Weiss would have probably rigged up some kind of Dust bomb to blow open the door; it wouldn't be the first time she had done so. It would be excessive, but Ruby's older sisters' protectiveness of her could sometime cloud their judgement.

But large explosions were not needed today as the door clicked open and the older girls entered the room.

"Ruby…Ruby what's wrong?" the only answer Yang got was Ruby curling up more on her bed. Her hood was up; obscuring her face but it was obvious that she had been crying.

Yang shared a look with Weiss and Blake, the three nodding to each other before they slowly walked towards the bed. Sitting down beside her, Yang gently placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder. Weiss and Blake took a seat at the end of the bed.

The silence of in the room was broken only by Ruby's sobbing. After several minutes, Ruby couldn't contain it anymore and latched out towards Yang, wrapping her arms around her sister's waist.

With the upmost care and gentleness, Yang lifted Ruby up and shifted around, resting her back headrest and placing Ruby on her lap. Ruby buried her face in Yang's chest, quickly soaking her top with her tears. Weiss and Blake quickly moved up, sitting on either side and gently started rubbing her back. Yang gently took Ruby's headphones off and ran her hands trough her hair comfortingly.

Ruby started to talk, but it all came out as an incoherent babble. The only things that could be heard were 'leaving me' and 'all alone'.

"It's okay, it's okay. We're not going to leave you; not now, not ever." Yang's voice was soft and soothing, comforting Ruby in a way she had done many times before. "We're your sisters and we will always be there for you."

Ruby's sobbing subsided for a moment, though her grip on Yang tightened.

"…promise?" Ruby's voice was barely a whisper, but was still audible.

Yang sighed, "Ruby, you know-"

"PROMISE!" Ruby lifted her head up as she yelled, her hood falling back and her red, tear-stained face became visible. Yang and her sisters were taken aback by this sudden outburst, but they quickly realized what it was all about.

Promises were very important to Ruby; after all, the first and greatest pain she had ever felt had come from a promise not kept.

"I promise. We promise. We will never abandon you." Yang's words were still soft, but held a strong conviction; she was not lying. Leaning forward, she gently kissed Ruby's forehead.

Yang's kiss was warm and comforting, and Ruby was able to begin calming down.

She felt another kiss on her left temple, this one cool and refreshing.

"We're your sisters Ruby, your family." Weiss said, embracing her from the side.

A kiss on her right temple, this one was soft and left a lingering sensation.

"And family never abandons each other." Blake finished, hugging her as well and completing the embrace.

Surrounded by her sisters and their love, Ruby felt her fears and anxiety begin to drift away. Wiping her eyes, she again buried her face into Yang's soft chest. They had done this little ritual many times in the past and it always made things better.

It didn't change the fact that they were going to be separated for a significant period of time, but now she felt like she could deal with it a little better now.

Tomorrow, Yang, Weiss and Blake would be leaving for Vale to complete their application to Beacon. She had already planned to go with them, even if there wasn't anything for her to do and it would probably last well into the night. She guessed that she could find some store and spend her night reading weapon magazines and listening to her music.

She should try and get used to being alone; come morning her sisters would be on their way to Beacon and she would be going back to Patch. She just wished that things could be different.

* * *

While Fate could be cruel sometimes, it could also bless people as well, albeit in strange ways. It was due to such a strange twist of fortune that Ruby once again found her head between Yang's large, soft breasts, but now in a somewhat less pleasant circumstance.

"I can't believe our baby sister is coming to Beacon with us! This is the best day ever!" Yang's voice was loud and excited, but Ruby wasn't able to share in with her elation over going to Beacon. This was mainly due to it being quite difficult to breathe with her face pushed so far into Yang's deep cleavage.

"Please…stop…" Ruby begged, but her plea was muffled by soft flesh and her attempts to escape were thwarted by her sister's strong embrace.

After a few moments of useless flailing, she was finally rescued from Yang's clutches by Weiss and Blake. They chastised their elder sister, reminding her that she needed to remember her own strength and be to more gentle with Ruby.

Ruby was able to just catch her breath and was about to thank Weiss and Blake, and tell them she didn't need to be coddled, when the two wrapped her in a tight hug from either side of her. While individually they weren't as strong as Yang, together their hug was just as bone-crushing as the blonde brawler.

"We're so proud of you!" Weiss said, nuzzling her cheek against Ruby's. Blake mirrored her actions on the other side.

The girls' grip loosened after a moment, but before Ruby could say anything, both of her sisters started to pinch her cheeks painfully.

"But that was totally irresponsible of you! What were you thinking, chasing after a dangerous criminal like that?" Weiss's tone had shifted alongside her actions, being quite angry and reprimanding now.

Just as quickly, the two stopped pulling on her cheeks and gently kissed them instead, their embrace becoming more gentle and comforting.

"But I'm so happy you're not hurt or anything." Now Weiss seemed to be on the verge of crying, overcome with worry and relief.

When it came to Ruby, the sisters' emotions could go on quite rollercoaster ride at times; a rollercoaster that looped back around, as demonstrated by the two once again hugging Ruby with all their might.

"Getting into Beacon two years early is amazing!" Blake said, brimming with pride. That pride turned to anger as she and Weiss again pinched Ruby's cheeks. "But that was still reckless of you. Did you even think about what could happen?"

Yang watched this spectacle, not even trying to hide her smile. For the next few minutes, Weiss and Blake alternated between being angry, relieved and proud of Ruby, before looping back to the beginning. They were trying to express all of their feelings about what Ruby had done all at once, creating a very humorous mess.

Eventually, Ruby was able to escape her sisters' grasp and back away a few steps from them. The irony that just yesterday she was upset over her sisters leaving and now she was trying to get away from them was not lost on her.

"Really guys, it was nothing. No reason to get all worked up and everything."

"What do you mean? It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees." Yang stepped forward, taking the space in-between Weiss and Blake. She was honestly confused as to why Ruby wasn't more excited about all this.

"I don't want to be the "bee's knees", okay? I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."

The three older sisters shared a look, not understanding what Ruby meant. Of course, they couldn't really get that being a 'normal girl with normal knees' was pretty much impossible when you had sisters like them.

It was hard to be normal and seen for who you are when you were with such brilliant and talented siblings. It was difficult to be confident in her own appearance when you were constantly surrounded by three girls who were, in Ruby's completely unbiased opinion, the most beautiful and attractive in the world.

If Ruby had been sad to see them leave Patch, so too were all the teenage boys on the island. Pretty much every young male on Patch had a crush on at least one of the Xiao Long sisters and it was easy to see why.

Each was visually stunning and physically attractive in their own unique way. Years of undergoing their father and uncle's intense physical regime had done wonders for their figures. Each had a strong, toned and athletic build that was coupled with fine curves and an ample chest. This had created a large amount of desire among the male population at Signal Academy, alongside a near-equal amount of jealousy from the female half.

First was Yang, the eldest sister. She was the tallest of the four and also the strongest physically. She had taken to her training with gusto, finding that the straight forward approach of punching her opponents senseless suited her well. Lifting hundreds of pounds of weights and crushing boulders with her bare hands, great feats for normal people, were everyday exercises for Yang.

The other reason she trained so hard was, of course, to protect her sisters. After a certain incident several years ago, in which Yang nearly got all four of them killed, she vowed to never again be too weak defend them. She practically threw herself into her training, with very noticeable results.

While not obvious given her curvaceous figure, Yang possessed an impressive amount of muscle. This was most noticeable on her flat stomach, which had a set of well-defined abs that she loved to show off. Her arms and legs were also well developed, but more compacted and appeared quite slim. This could change during a fight as her Semblance activated, taking hits and converting into energy; which was then directed into her muscles.

More than one opponent had surrendered during a match with her, seeing her eyes turn red, her hair set on fire and her muscles started bulging larger. It was an incredibly intimating sight.

Yang was quite a sight in more than one way. She possessed one of, if not the, biggest pair of breasts on all of Patch and she loved to flaunt them. Most of her outfits, including her current attire, featured low-cuts that exposed a lot of cleavage. Yang loved showing off a lot of skin, to the delight of all the boys and the consternation of her father. She loved to flirt, tease and party all night long.

But that didn't mean Yang was some kind of dumb blonde; she graduated top of Signal for a reason. She absolutely dominated all of the physical tests and fights and not just because of her insane strength. Yang had incredible endurance and could take almost anything and keep standing, often time outlasting her opponents until they had little strength left. She was almost undefeated at Signal, with only Blake and Weiss having a few wins over her and then only because they knew her fighting style so well.

While not having the best grades in the class, Yang still got high-marks on most of her assignments; usually this was when her sisters were able to kick her butt into gear. She did have a sharp mind and was very intelligent, but she preferred to live in the moment and have as much fun as possible.

To Ruby, Yang was the sister who made even the simplest of things fun and exciting. She was the one she could go to if she needed to be comforted and knew that Yang wouldn't leave her until she was better.

She could coddle Ruby too much at times, a trait all her family had, and her over-protectiveness could get really annoying, but she knew that Yang only wanted her to be safe and happy. She was playful, cheery and always ready to stand up for her; and Ruby loved her with all her heart

Weiss was a very different person. She acted, and wanted to be viewed as, the mature one of the group. She held herself to a high-standard in everything, from her grades to her clothes. She was a perfectionist who planned out everything in minute detail, from her daily plans to her own future career. To those who didn't know her well, she often came off a cold and distant person, as someone who only thought of herself.

That couldn't be further from the truth; inside Weiss was a warm and caring person who's wanted the best for her family. She was an incredibly gifted person, being not only extremely intelligent but also talented in a variety of disciplines. This ranged from dancing, singing, playing musical instruments and dress-making to being skilled in mathematics, business theory and chemistry.

The diversity of her interests was shown in her clothing choices, most of which she had made herself. This included a white thigh-length strapless dress with black trim and a fairly low cut, which could have easily come out of a high-end clothing boutique. This was countered by the large white coat she wore over top of it. It trailed down passed her knees and featured numerous pockets on the inside. It was ruffled at the collar, trimmed in black and feature her personal symbol on the back; a black, stylized snowflake.

While well made, the coat looked like, and was in fact, a fancy-looking lab-coat. Weiss was obsessed with Dust manipulation and had been called a mad scientist by more than one person. Completing this image was the pair of goggles she wore around her neck, in case she was struck with inspiration to try a new Dust mixture or needed to use one of her 'special' Dust formulas.

The fact she still radiated class and sophistication spoke volumes of her personal grace and poise.

Her skin was sharply pale and her hair a pure white colour; rare traits for Vale, but common up in Atlas. Her hair was long and held up in an off-centered pony-tail, kept in place with a tiara-type hairpin that was a gift from their late mother.

The only thing that marred her appearance was a crooked scar running down her left eye, a constant reminder of that night 12 years ago. She had been made fun of it as a kid by other children, though Yang had forcefully put an end to that. Weiss chose not to let it bother her and now it enhanced rather than detracted from her beauty.

While mature in mind and action, Weiss had lagged behind her two sisters in her physical development. Her short height had led her to wear a set of platform boots to add an extra few inches.

But it was her chest that had been the cause of much insecurity; while Blake and especially Yang started to bloom and blossom as young women, Weiss was stuck being small and flat-chested. While she never said as much, it had bothered her immensely and she had felt like she was being left behind. For a while there, she had been quite brooding and had begun to drift away from her sisters.

Thankfully, she did eventually hit her own growth spurt. She had screamed for joy that morning over a year ago, when she awoke to find that she had grown enough to finally fill out a bra. She woke the entire house so they could see, proudly proclaiming that her 'Xiao Long' genes had finally kicked in.

While not appreciating being woken up so early, the others were happy for her and no-one brought up the obvious fault in her statement.

While still being the smallest out of the three elder sisters, Weiss's chest was still quite large compared to her short stature and slim build; she had many admirers back in Patch.

And while her fighting style was based more on graceful movements and precision, Weiss did not lack for physical strength. She had gone through the same training as Yang and could hold her own in a contest of strength and endurance very well.

To Ruby, Weiss was the sister who seemed to know everything and she could go to her if she had any questions on just about anything. If she was having trouble with her homework or there was a concept she couldn't wrap her head around, Weiss would help her until she got it. She had a seemingly infinite amount of patience, when it came to her sisters at least, and could explain complicate ideas in an easy to understand way.

Weiss could be overly critical of any and all mistakes Ruby made and could be very overbearing at times. But that was only because she knew that Ruby could do better and that she just wanted the best for her. She was kind, caring and supportive in all the things Ruby did; and Ruby loved her with all her heart.

Last was Blake, Weiss's 'twin', and the trickster of the group. As a Faunus, Blake easily stood out on Patch; even more then the Weiss and her white hair. There were very few Faunus on Patch and she was the only one among the children on the island.

She got bullied and picked on quite a bit at elementary school; lots of kids didn't understand what a Faunus was and were mean to her as a result.

It hadn't gone on for very long; having two parents and an uncle who were famed Huntsmen and an older sister like Yang who would beat up anyone saying bad things about her, stopped the overt attempts to bully her.

But that simply meant that more subtle means were used against her. She was excluded from most of the other kids' activities and it wasn't until she was into her first year at Signal that she was able to start making friends of her own.

Blake had her family, so she was never really alone, but it had hurt a lot at the time and made her wonder if something was just wrong with her. Her mother had reassured her that she was perfect just the way she was and this period of self-doubt passed, but it had still left its mark on her.

She had thought about hiding her ears under a ribbon or something, but that would be admitting defeat. She wasn't going to roll over and let them win; she was and always would be a Faunus.

So she learned to hide in plain sight, to disappear into the shadows; one couldn't pick on someone they couldn't see. She learned to move around silently and follow someone without them noticing them.

It was no surprise then that, while Yang had been the best on fighting and Weiss on written tests, it was Blake who got the best scores on stealth and tracking at Signal. She proved herself many times and eventually earned the respect of her peers, with her sharp wit, keen scents and clever fighting style.

Blake's body had developed very well, though she was still more surprised than she should have been when she realized she had male admirers. Her chest had grown to quite a large size, smaller then Yang's but bigger then Weiss. Her butt also got a lot of attention and was universally regarded as the finest rear-end on Patch and perhaps all of Vale. This was coupled with a pair of long legs and a toned, fit figure.

Her long black hair was tied into a braid that went down her back. She had purple eye-liner around her yellow ears, highlighting their cat-like appearance even more. Her cat-ears were displayed openly; while she was fine with hiding when she wanted to, she wouldn't run from who she was anymore.

She wore a white coat with black inner lining with a black-cropped top underneath. It had a diamond cut in the middle, showing off some of her cleavage, but less then what her sisters preferred to show. A good amount of her stomach was exposed between her shirt and the dark pair of tight, low-riding pants she wore.

The jacket was specially made for her by Weiss and contained a great many hidden pockets both inside and outside. This proved very useful, as while developing her stealth skills, Blake had performed numerous burglaries across Patch and Vale. It was only against either rich people who could afford to lose a few valuables or people that she knew were bad apples, but during it all Blake had developed a 'mild' case of kleptomania. She had a bad habit of 'borrowing' things from others without asking for permission first. It was never anything major and she would always give it back if asked, but it could still get very annoying at times.

To Ruby, Blake was the sister who she could go to if she was having a problem and together they could work out a solution. She encouraged Ruby to be as creative as possible and Ruby could trust her to keep a secret from the rest of the family, for a while at least. She was cool, empathic and always encouraged Ruby to stand up against injustice; and Ruby loved her with all her heart.

A very unique trio to have as older sisters and ones who always made sure that Ruby's life would never be quite as 'normal' as other girls.

"What's with you? Aren't you excited?" Yang asked, looking both confused and worried

"Of course I'm excited... I just... I got moved ahead _two years_. I don't want people to think I'm special or anything." Ruby clasped her hands together and looked down.

This concerned the Sisters. They knew Ruby had trouble making friends; she was just really shy and awkward.

As one the three moved forward and surrounded Ruby on three sides. Blake and Weiss reached out and touched Ruby's shoulders while Yang gently cupped her cheek.

"But you are special…"

To Blake, Yang and Weiss, that was nothing less than the truth. To them, Ruby was their precious little sister. In the darkness moments of their life, she was the light that pulled them back out.

This young, short, red-cloak-wearing, cookie-loving weapon nut was the perhaps the most precious thing in their lives. Ruby gave them drive, a purpose to always strive for; to love, protect, care for and overall be the best big sister they could be for her. That alone had helped them get up when they had fallen down, when the darkness that life seemed to throw at them seemed too much.

Ruby was the light of their life, the thing that kept them moving forwards. Her smile and words of love made everything worthwhile. Being her big sister was the greatest purpose and duty they had in their lives. Seeing her laugh and smile caused their hearts to swell, and seeing her sad broke those same hearts.

Leaving her behind while they went off to study at Beacon had been a difficult decision. They had honestly discussed and considered waiting 2 years until Ruby was done at Signal and could go to Beacon too. They were willing to put their futures on hold for her, but it was clear that Ruby would never have been okay with that and would have certainly have hated herself for seemingly holding her sisters back.

Having her coming with them to Beacon truly made this the best day ever; because they loved Ruby with all their hearts and more.

Blake and Weiss leaned forward and softly kissed Ruby on the cheek before Yang gave her a gentle, tender kiss on her forehead. The girls took a half-step back, still keeping close to Ruby. The little red reaper's expression had brightened considerably, with her eyes no longer downcast and a smile was now on her face.

Like the night before, these gestures never failed in making Ruby feel better, to make all her insecurities fade away.

"Love you…" Ruby's voice was very soft, almost inaudible to her sisters despite their close proximity. She was looking at Yang, but it was directed at all three.

They still heard her all the same. "Love you too" was their shared response, an answer that they never failed to give.

This tender family moment was broken by the TV monitors along the wall of the airship coming to life, broadcasting the latest news from Vale. The sisters broke their little circle and stood next to each other to see the screen.

It was a police mug-shot of a red-hair man in a white jacket with a smug grin on his face.

"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department." The male newscaster said, giving the identity and details of the man shown.

Yang leaned in close to Ruby.

"So this is the guy that you fought last night?" Yang asked.

"The guy that shot at you?" Weiss added.

"The guy that almost blew you up with a Burn crystal?" Blake's question was punctured by a low growl in her voice.

"Yeah, it was pretty crazy. He was actually pretty skilled for just some crook and was really fast too. I took my eyes off him for a second and he was already climbing up a building and…" Ruby stopped mid-sentence as she realized her sisters weren't listening to her. Their attention was firmly on the image of Roman Torchwick.

Looking closer, Ruby could see that Yang's eyes had turned bright red, like two burning coals. Weiss's eyes were hard and cold as ice and Blake's had an angry, feral look to them. This was because they were thinking of the exact same thing; that Roman Torchwick was going to die.

This man had tried to kill Ruby, their precious little sister. He had tried to take away the light of their lives, the single most important thing to them. So there was no if, ands or buts; if they even crossed paths with Torchwick, they were going to kill him in the most painful way possible.

The wraith of a trio of protective sisters was terrible indeed.

The image on the screen changed as the male reporter passed the news back to networks main anchor. The fire and intense rage within the Xiao Long sisters passed without a word, though the vow was not forgotten.

On the TV now was a face that they and all of Vale had seen many times over the years; Lisa Lavender.

The purple-haired reporter had become the face of news in the entire Kingdom, having made her big break 12 years ago covering the collision between the two passengers ships off the coast of Vale. It was quite the opportunity for a young, rookie reporter like her, but she handled herself well and used that to become synonymous with the latest news and reports in the Kingdom in the years since.

"Thank you, Cyril. In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. Violence from members of the officially peaceful organization has grown in recent years. This incident comes on the heels of a recent attempt to hijack a Schnee Dust Company-owned train by known White Fang member, Adam Taurus. The attack was ultimately repealed and both the train's cargo and passengers safely secured, but only after most of the train's automated security was destroyed."

"The leader of the White Fang, Ghira Belladonna, could not be reach for questions on either incident, but his office has reiterated that the White Fang is committed to non-violence and explained that Adam Taurus was expelled some time ago for his extremist views. No answer was given on the rumours of a possible leadership struggle going on between Ghira Belladonna and his second-in-commander, Sienna Khan, who has publicly advocated for more 'aggressive' actions be taken to secure Faunus rights".

"Vale News Network will keep up to date as more information becomes available. After the break, our panel of experts will discuss the current direction the White Fang is taking and if they are, in fact, becoming a terrorist organization. But first, the weather…"

The news feed was abruptly cut off and replaced by a hologram of a woman with blonde hair that was held in bun and glasses.

"Who's that?" Yang asked.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch." The hologram said, answering Yang's question. The image of Beacon's Deputy Headmistress continued one, speaking how it was a privilege for them to be attending Beacon and how it was their duty to do their best to uphold the peace the world was currently enjoying.

"So…" Yang turned towards Ruby, "this is that strict Huntress that saved you from Torchwick?"

"Yeah…I mean, I was doing okay before she showed up and all, but she did block that Dust explosion. It was actually really cool watching her fight, with her making ice rain from the sky and she even made a giant spear out of some rubble and…"

Ruby's excited narration of her encounter with Goodwitch was cut off by Weiss walking up behind her, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her around to look at her.

"That woman is the Deputy Headmistress of Beacon, second only to Headmaster Ozpin himself and widely regarded as one of the greatest Huntresses alive." Weiss' face was one of intense focus as she leaned in closer to Ruby.

"Please tell me you got her autograph?"

Ruby looked down. "I…I asked her, but she turned me down flat…"

"Shi-Drat!" Weiss's voice was angry as she barely bit back a curse; the autograph of such an illustrious Huntress would have been amazing to own, let alone what it could be worth to the right buyer.

"I'm sorry…" Ruby said sadly. She hated disappointing her sisters.

Weiss looked back at Ruby in surprise. "I'm not mad at you. I know you did your best." To emphasis this, she kissed Ruby's forehead, bring a smile back to her younger sister's face.

While this going on, Blake stood off to the side, lost in her own thoughts. The reports of the White Fang's violence had been going on for a long time now, but had increased greatly over the past year. It was went beyond a few misguided or overly zealously members and was now clearly the work of an organized faction within the White Fang; a faction dedicated to violence against humans.

As a child, Blake had often though about joining the White Fang, the group of people fighting to make society better for helpless and the marginalized Faunus. If there had been a branch of the White Fang on Patch, Blake didn't doubt she would have become a member and would have enthusiastically taken in all of their protests and boycotts.

But Patch was too small and had too few Faunus to make it worth it for the White Fang to maintain a presence, instead focusing on Vale itself and a few of the other coastal cities. It would have been difficult and expensive to constantly make the trip over to Vale every week, so the closest Blake got to the White Fang was the occasional broadcasts of speeches made by Ghira Belladonna.

In those days, when Blake would often come home crying from elementary school after some kids pulled on her ears or something else like that, the words of Ghira Belladonna were uplifting. There was something in the man's words, in himself that just seemed to resonate with Blake. It tugged at something in the back of her mind, something from her forgotten past.

Blake concluded that she must have seen him before when she was younger; she was certain that she had originally come from Menagerie and Ghira Belladonna lived and spent most of his time there, alongside his wife Kali, who was the Chieftain of Menagerie. It was very possible that she had seen them growing up and that she was almost remembering them.

In a way, they were a link back to her past and her lost family.

But time does not sit around her one girl to daydream. Blake had to focus on her schooling, her training and most of all, her family. After Summer died, Blake decided she couldn't spend her time dreaming about some great moral crusade; she needed to focus on the present. She would have loved to meet Ghira Belladonna in person, but he hadn't make an appearance in Vale in over a decade.

Her family, on the other hand, was beside her every day. They were the ones she had to care about, not the plea of people she didn't know living far away. She had a loving family who didn't care that she had cat-ears, who saw her for who she was. With the White Fang, she often wondered if they would see her, or just her ears.

While it was true that she had faced some discrimination as a child for her Faunus ears, it did eventually come to an end. The people of Patch were good people and after the matter was brought to their attention, the parents of the offending children did take action.

It didn't end all the bullying right away, but as time went on and they all grew up, the harassment she faced stopped. Most of the kids who had picked on her apologized and some of them even became good friends to her. They all just outgrew it all and moved on with their lives.

So to Blake, the violent actions of the White Fang just seemed so childish to her; the response of people who couldn't grow up and see there was a better way of doing things. She had pranked and stole from kids who had bullied her, but she was a child reacting impulsively, wanting to hurt those who had hurt her. She was above that now and it seemed such a shame that the White Fang couldn't do the same.

And if Ghira Belladonna couldn't stop those under his authority from committing violent acts, couldn't convince them that a peaceful solution was possible, maybe he wasn't as great of a leader as she once thought.

"Blake…hey Blake, you in there?" the voice of Yang brought Blake back to the present.

"Yeah, what is it?" Blake's question was answered by Yang simply pointing to the window. Blake saw that both Ruby and Weiss were gazing out, the younger girl having a look of wonder on her face. Walking forward, Blake quickly saw why.

The whole City of Vale was sprawled out before them. The sisters had visited the city many times, but they never got to see if from this view before. Coming from such a small area, it was almost mind-boggling to think of all the people that lived down there. Buildings in every shape and size stretched as far as the eye could see, bordered by the mountains and coastline that protected the Kingdom.

"Look! You can actually see Signal from here!" Ruby said excitedly, pointing to a spot out in the horizon.

It was true; you could just barely make out Signal's tower from Vale. Long ago, that tower had been just that, a signal tower. It was used by the first settlers to signal Vale if there was a large Grimm or sea-raiders attack. After the Great War, the base of the tower was expanded and transformed into Signal Academy.

"Guess Dad and the old house aren't very far after all" Ruby's voice had a wistful tone to it. Yang wrapped an arm around her.

"Beacon's our home now."

Ruby turned and smiled at Yang's words despite completely disagreeing with her. It was right here, having Yang, Blake and Weiss next to her, that was her home.

And it always would be.

* * *

The airship reached its assigned docking station, sliding in gently before opening its doors.

One blonde haired boy rushed out of the airship as quickly as possible, heading immediately to the nearest trash-can. The flight to Beacon hadn't been gentle enough for him it seemed, as he proceeded to empty his stomach of everything he had eaten in the last 24 hours into the trash-can.

The sisters quickly moved passed him. He had almost threw up on their shoes back on the airship, but Blake had been quick enough to see what was going to happen and moved them to another part of the ship.

When they reached the end of the path from the airship, they stopped and gasped in awe at the sight of Beacon Academy.

They had seen pictures and videos of Vale's Huntsmen Academy before and seen if from a distant from the city, but it paled before standing before the real thing. Even when they were doing their applications, it was all done in an office in the city, so this was their first time see in school with their own eyes.

Beacon Tower absolutely dwarfed Signal in size and grandeur. It reached high into the sky, connecting the Vale with the rest of the world through the CCT system. The rest of the school spread out from the tower, huge white and gray buildings that contained everything that the young Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training needed to have to live, learn and train effectively.

Other potential students moved past the girls, many of them carrying their weapons in the open.

"Look, Look! That kid's got a collapsible staff! And she's got a fire sword!" Ruby squealed in delight, the display of Huntsmen-grade weapon causing her weapon-obsession to come out in full force.

Ruby was about to reach out and start groping those weapons when Yang grabbed her by her hood, hauling her back.

"Easy there, little sister. They're just weapons!"

"Just weapons?" Ruby said, incredulously. "They're an extension of ourselves! They're a part of us! Oh, they're so cool!""

"Well, why can't you swoon over your own weapon? Aren't you happy with it?" Blake asked. She and the others knew just how much of her heart and soul she had put into forging her scythe.

In the blink of an eye, Ruby had her weapon out and fully extended.

"Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose!" she said defensively, cradle her weapon has if it was a baby. "I just really like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people, but better..."

Weiss stepped forward and placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"Ruby, come on, why don't you go try and make some friends of your own?" Weiss said, somewhat forcefully. She knew Ruby could make friends if she just opened up more.

Ruby looked at Weiss and her other sisters. "Why do I need friends when I have you?"

The Xiao Long Sisters had to bite their lips to stop themselves from squealing in joy as their hearts swelled with warm emotions. At that moment all they wanted to do was hug and kiss Ruby with all their might. It was amazing that Ruby could make them feel this way with only a few words.

But they had discussed this beforehand and agreed that they would have to be more forceful in getting Ruby to break out of her shell.

"Well…" Yang looked at Weiss and Blake, seeing the nod before taking a big breath. "Actually-we-were-going-hang-with-some-of-our-friends-so-we'll-catch-you-later-bye."

With those words, spoken so fast Ruby could barely catch them; the three older sisters dashed off and were soon lost in the crowd heading into the main building.

"W-wait…what do I do now? Do we head to our dorms? Do we have dorms? Guys…" Ruby could only stare at the crowd, her words getting quieter. She couldn't believe that her beloved sisters had just ditched her in a strange new place filled with strange new people.

Overwhelmed, Ruby simply fell over backwards and lay on the ground for a few minutes.

Deep breathes helped to calm her sudden panic at being alone, though her anger against her sister began to rise sharply. She knew what they were trying to do. They were always doing things like this, trying to force her to be more open and confidence before she was ready.

Her combined mopping and planning revenge was cut short as someone walked up to her.

"Need a hand there?" the person asked.

Ruby didn't know what say, so she just accepted the offer hand and got back to her feet. She had no choice now; she would try and make a friend like her sisters wanted her to.

* * *

30 minutes had passed since they had left Ruby alone and Weiss was getting very worried. She and her sisters were in the school's auditorium with all the other students, waiting for the Headmaster to address them.

At first, she was okay with the plan to leave Ruby behind. Ruby's skills at fighting had only emerged after her uncle took over her training and really forced her to push her boundaries to become strong. She was, in a way, the kind of person who learned to swim by being pushed into the deep end. So, the three of them decided that Ruby would need a similar push if she was to finally open up to others and start making friends on her own.

It was fine when this was all talk and planning, but as the minutes wore on, Weiss couldn't help but start to worry about her little sister. It had been pretty cruel of them, just leaving like that with such a petty explanation; it could have been seen like they didn't want her around.

"This was a bad idea" Weiss said, pacing back and forth. "She should have been here by now. I'm going to go look for her." Weiss was about to walk towards the auditorium doors when Yang grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Easy there sis; there's no reason for you to get so worked up. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

Weiss whipped around, looking her sister dead in the eye. "What's the worst that could happen? How about Ruby accidentally falling over some rich, snobby girl's luggage and getting yelled at. Then the rich brat will take out some Dust containers that she had in her luggage and yell at Ruby some more. But the Dust will be improperly sealed and a cloud of it will be released and Ruby will sneeze, causing an explosion and she will be yelled at even more. That is what could be happening!"

Weiss took a step back, taking deep breathes. Yang and Blake exchanged looks with each other. Weiss could go overboard with her worrying, but even this was a bit much and surprisingly detailed. It was, however, completely in character that Weiss was more worried about Ruby being yelled at, and thus having her feelings hurt, then she was about Ruby getting blown up.

"I don't think that will happen. If it did, I probably would have heard an explosion or something similar" Blake said, her cat ears twitching for emphasis.

"What is more likely is that Ruby is busy talking to people, making friends; you know, what we wanted to happen." Yang's words did little to calm Weiss, who simply crossed her arms and pouted.

Yang sighed and was just about to say more when she caught sight of a familiar red hood at the entrance-way.

"Look, Ruby right there, so there was nothing to worry…" Yang's voice trailed off as she got a better view of Ruby, her open hanging open as a look of pure horror appeared on her face. Confused and worried, Weiss and Blake moved up to see, their own faces quickly matching Yang's.

The reason for the sisters' reaction was very clear; walking right beside Ruby, talking with her, was a monster.

This monster was different from the creatures of Grimm. This one walked on two legs and had bright blue eyes and blond hair, but it was a monster none the less. The thing that was beside their precious little sister was a… _boy._

And while the Grimm would kill and destroy all that humanity held dear, it was boys that had intentions. And what kind of intentions could this boy have towards their baby sister?

The Xiao Long sisters' minds raced with all the possibilities, each one worst then the last.

Now, the three had realistically known that Ruby could have met and befriended a boy; they did make up half the population after all. The sisters had several male friends back at Signal and they had gotten along alright with Ruby, but seeing a boy that they didn't know, hadn't vetted, walking and talking beside Ruby just turned their overprotectiveness to the max.

Both Yang and Blake had both dated a few guys while at Signal; Weiss was completely uninterested is such things. None had lasted long or got really serious, but they still had to deal with their father getting all paranoid and protective of them. It had been really annoying at the time and they had told him as such, so one would think that they would realize the hypocrisy of their immediate thoughts towards Ruby being with a boy.

But the difference was that this was _Ruby_ ; their sweet, innocent, precious little sister. Their emotions towards her were so strong that they often canceled out any and all rational thinking and the connection between this scenario and their own interactions with boys was just not made.

A small part of them realize how much of an overreaction this was, but the bigger part fueled by their intense love for Ruby, could only go to the worst possibility.

Thinking quickly, Yang raised her arm and waved at Ruby. "Ruby, over here; we, um, saved you a spot!"

Ruby said something to the boy before walking towards her sisters. Ruby's sisters didn't miss the look of disappointment on the boy's face; disappointed that his prey had escaped him, perhaps?

Ruby walked over to join her sisters. Meeting Jaune and the others had been nice, but that didn't excuse them for just leaving her behind. She was just about to get them a piece of her mind when the three suddenly wrapped her in a hug.

Ruby was surprised by this sudden display of affection, but realized that they must be apologizing to her. They knew how mean it was to just ditch her and were trying to make it up.

Ruby hugged them back, thankful that she had such loving and caring sisters.

Jaune Arc on the other hand, would quickly come to hate that Ruby had such loving and overprotective sisters, as Yang, Blake and Weiss vowed to protect Ruby from all the dangers in the world, real or imagined.

Things were already shaping up to be quite interesting at Beacon this year.

* * *

 **That's it for Chapter 2. I wanted to get right into the action and start off with the girls at Beacon. Flashbacks to the girls growing up will appear as the story progresses. Yang and Ruby have the same appearance, Yang having some more muscle and Ruby's headphones being around her neck all the time. Weiss has a lab-coat and googles, along with a bigger chest. Blake's is basically the same as her Volume 4 outfit; just the inside of the jacket is black and her hair is in a braid.**

 **In regards to pairings, the reason I had initially thought of making this a Pollination story was because I was going to have Ruby, Blake, Weiss and Yang already be very close and in many ways intimate with each other. As time went on, they would start to realize how much they loved each other and move onto being romantic with each other.**

 **As an alternative, I've now been considering having the members of Team RWBY be paired with Team JNPR. I was already planning on having them be more prominently featured then they were in the show (Helping in the fight against Roman, joining them on the mission to Mountain Glenn , etc.), so this would reinforce that even more. I am thinking about having it as RubyxJaune, WeissxPyrrha, YangxNora and BlakexRen. For Ruby and Jaune, things probably won't get romantic until after the time-skip.**

 **For Weiss and Blake's personalities, they will still be broadly the same, but will generally be more open, kind and with a few new quirks. I don't want them to become completely different characters, but I think adding a few new things will keep things interesting.**

 **I will be giving an explanation as to why Summer, Taiyang and Qrow were never able to find Weiss and Blake real parents', who are still alive, and why it wasn't obvious that Weiss was a Schnee.**

 **I'm also changing the timeline a bit here, having Summer leave for her final mission several years later then in canon. This was so that she was around long enough so that Weiss and Blake would completely identify her as being their mother. This means that Yang's search for Raven, and the incident with the Grimm, also happened much later.**

 **That's all for now, I will be focusing on** _ **Dark Valkyrie**_ **for the next while before returning to** _ **Sisterhood**_ **, so leave review or a PM to tell me what you think and of any ideas you may have for this story.**

 **Thanks again.**

 **Edit:April 5th, 2019- After several more reviews and a poll, I decided to go with Pollination over RWBYxJNPR from Ch.5 onward. You can disregard the authors notes on the next two chapter on this subject.**


	3. Chapter 3: Initation-Part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

 **Chapter 3: Initiation- Part 1**

The rest of the day proceeded smoothly, with Ruby's sisters keeps a closer than usual watch on her. The three kept her surrounded on all sides and made sure that no one, especially males, approached her. When the time came for the students to change into their sleepwear, the Xiao Long sisters practically stood as her bodyguards in the washroom, ensuring no-one even thought of trying to peek.

Ruby didn't notice the extra layer of protection; her sisters often did things like this and she was honestly still too excited at being at Beacon Academy to notice. She was still gushing about how incredible everything was and wondering what tomorrow would bring as her sisters led her to the corner of the ballroom. The three sisters set up their bedding so that they surrounded the spot that Ruby was going to sleep.

With all that settled, the three sisters sat down beside Ruby and started to relax. Ruby started talking about her day after the other three ditched her, about how it was Jaune who had offered to help her off the ground and that they started making small talk.

Hearing it, it didn't sound all that bad. Just a boy helping a young girl; nothing wrong or inappropriate about it. Maybe they had gotten the wrong idea…

"And then he showed me his big sword!" Ruby exclaimed happily, as she always did when she started talking about weapons. She didn't notice her sisters suddenly becoming still as statutes, their mouths slowly falling open in shock.

This Jaune Arc had **exposed** himself to their baby sister! A quick death would be too merciful for a pervert such as him; only a truly painful and agonizing death would be suitable.

Once again, Ruby's sisters immediately latched on to the worst possible meaning and ignored everything else. Ruby's description of the 'sword', that it was long, hard and that she would have need both hands to hold it, didn't help one little bit.

Ruby suddenly leapt to her feet and started waving. "Hey, Jaune!"

The sisters whirled around, rage and murder blazing in their eyes. They adopted a deadpanned expression as they looked at the blonde pervert. He was walking across the sleeping area, heading towards the other side where he was apparently going to sleep. He waved back at Ruby, smiling as he side-stepped the various people already laying down.

But it was what he was wearing that gave the sisters pause. He was wearing a bright blue onesie, with bunny ears on the feet and a white bunny face on the chest. It was completely out of left field that anyone would wear something like that and it was strange that he wasn't getting more looks.

Jaune continued onward and Ruby sat back down, continuing her retelling of her day. Her sisters weren't paying her any attention, instead turning slowly to look at each other before nodding.

If the fact that he was an evil, disgusting, exposing pervert wasn't enough, that blue onesie sealed the deal. For the sake of both Ruby and the whole human race, Jaune Arc needed to die.

The girls shifted into a close circle and began to quietly discuss how to go about removing Jaune from existence. Could Yang 'accidentally' run over him multiple times with Bumblebee? Should Weiss make Dust bomb and cause an 'unfortunate' lab accident that blew Jaune and only Jaune into a million pieces? Could Blake sneak a poisonous snake into his bed at night? There were many options and angles to go over.

Ruby continued her monologue, unaware that her sisters weren't paying attention. They nodded and gave short responses at the right time to make it look like they were listening, but their focus was entirely on ending the blonde pervert.

"Hey! Ren. Nora, over here!" Ruby suddenly called out, leaping back to her feet. Yang, Weiss and Blake turn around, wondering what their sister was doing.

They saw that two people were walking towards their spot. One was a short girl with red hair and aqua-colored eyes. She had a big smile plastered on her face and was practically skipping, which caused her ample chest to bounce within the confines of her black shirt. The word 'Boop', was written across her chest in pink and for some reason, it just seemed to fit her perfectly.

They noted that she was also wearing what looked like a silver bracelet on both of her wrists and a silver choker around her neck with a small pink diamond embedded in the center of it. They couldn't really fathom what kind of person would go to sleep with their jewelry still on, but they wouldn't judge her.

Their main focus was on the second person, who was causing their anger to rise. It wasn't because of his black hair or magenta eyes. His tall and slim stature or his calm, neutral facial expression, a complete contrast with the girl, wasn't the problem either.

It was the simply fact that he was a male and that he was approaching Ruby. The minds of the Xiao Long Sisters were still on a murderous note regarding Jaune, so their immediate thought was this boy was exactly that same e.g. he was a pervert who planned to lecherous things with their dear and precious baby sister.

"Hey, Ruby. Good to see ya again. Beacon treating you alright so far?" the red-haired girl asked excitedly before look at the still seated sisters. "So, are these those sisters of yours that you were talking about?"

Ruby nodded eagerly. "Yep! These are my big sisters. This is Weiss, Yang and Blake." Ruby pointed to each of her sisters in turn. The three nodded in greeting but were still wary about this duo.

The tall boy gave a small bow as he introduced himself. "Hello…my name is Lie Ren. It's a pleasure to meet you."

His polite greeting did nothing to pacify the sisters' suspicion. Every male was a pervert after all, so they couldn't trust him at all. They were already modifying their plans to murder Jaune in their minds to include Ren now. Protecting Ruby's innocence and purity was an almost sacred task to the Sisters and they would go to any extreme for her.

"And I'm Nora!" the girl said loudly, jumping onto Ren's back, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her cheek against his. The boy gave out a sigh at his friend's actions, his back straining a bit under her weight.

If Ren had known how much grief this small act would save him, he wouldn't have been sighing at all and the number of pancakes he cooked for Nora would have easily tripled out of sheer gratitude towards her.

This was because, on seeing this act of affection, their murder-oriented thoughts of the Sisters ground to a halt and began turning in a different direction.

 _So…those two are together. That means…it's perfectly fine for Ren to be friends with Ruby!_

It Ren was in a committed relationship with another girl, then he wouldn't be interested in Ruby. It wasn't like all boys were perverts or anything like that. So as long as he was kind and respectful towards Ruby, they would gladly accept him being her friend.

"It's nice to meet you two." Blake said, smiling at the duo, an action which Weiss and Yang repeated. They were really happy that Ruby had managed to make some friends on her own, that she was finally breaking out of her shell.

"So…how was it that you two met with Ruby?" Weiss asked, eager to know how Ruby had gone about making friends.

At this Ruby turned around, a look of confusion on her face.

"I-I just told you guy how I met them…that it was right after I met Jaune…weren't you listening?"

Ruby's sisters looked at each other, confused as well and trying to remember what Ruby had been saying all day to them.

* * *

 _Flashback_

Ruby watched as Jaune re-sheathed his sword after giving her a good look. It was definitely a well-made sword from what she could see and the retractable shield was pretty nifty, even if it didn't reduce the weight at all. As far as old-school classics go, it was pretty cool.

"Sooo…where are we heading?" Ruby asked, looking around. As much as she would have like to keep discussing their weapons, she wanted to catch up with her sisters soon.

"Oh, I don't know! I was following you." Jaune began to look around himself "Y-You think there might be a directory? Maybe a food court? Some kind of recognizable landmark? Maybe a- "

Jaune was cut off as a streak of white and pink slammed into him from above, knocking the blonde onto his back and kick up a good deal of dust.

When it cleared Ruby saw that a girl with short-red hair was sitting on top of Jaune chest. She had a white and black top with a metal harness around it and a pink skirt on. There was heart-shaped opening on her chest, showing off a little cleavage. She also had a silver choker with a small pink diamond that seemed to shine strangely in the sunlight.

"Geez…I guess the ground was further away then I thought. Good thing you caught me Ren." The girl scratched the back of her head and looked around. "I climbed that tree to get a better view of Beacon and try and find that directory-whatzit, but I couldn't tell the buildings apart from up there. Sorry about jumping down on you, I should have been more careful"

The girl finally looked down at Jaune and tilted her head. "Hey Ren, did you get a makeover while I was gone. Completely dyed your hair and colour contacts? That really impressive for only a few minutes. I like it, but it kinda ruins the whole 'dark loner' thing you got going on. Ohhhh, are you changing your whole image or something? You should have told me; I could have totally styled your hair!"

"Nora…' a voiced called out from the side.

"Yes Ren?" The girl replied, still looking down at Jaune.

"That's not me"

Nora turned her head to the side and Ruby followed her gaze. She jumped a little as she realized that a tall boy wearing green was now standing beside her. She didn't hear him walking behind her at all; he was as silence as a ninja or something.

Nora adopted a confused expression now. "If you're there, then who am I sitting on?"

At this point, Jaune finally got enough of his breathe and wits back to respond. He raised his left arm and held his hand towards Nora.

"J-Jaune Arc…N-nice to meet you…" Jaune spoke as best he could with someone sitting on his chest.

Nora didn't answer, instead leaning back and tapping a finger to her lips. "Jaune…Arc" Nora slowly sounded out his name. "Short, sweet and it rolls off the tongue…I like it!" She turned back to look at Ren. "Hey Ren, when we get around to getting that pet sloth, can we name it Jaune Arc? Or does Jaune-Jaune sound better?"

Ren simply shook his head. "Nora…we not getting a pet sloth. And I think it time you get off of that person"

Nora gave an enthusiastic nod before jumping off of Jaune and onto her feet. In one fluid motion, she grabbed Jaune's still outstretched hand and effortlessly lifted him off the ground. She placed him down and started vigorously shaking his hand.

"Real pleasure to meet ya, Jaune. I'm Nora Valkyrie and that tall, dark and mostly silent guy over there is my friend Lie Ren. We came to Beacon together, though we're not together-together or anything like that." She gave Jaune one last handshake before letting go and skipping over to Ren, who gave Jaune an apologetic look.

"Sorry for all this trouble. We were trying to find a directory or something, to find out where we're suppose to go.' Ren shook his head. "You would think that would be something that would have mentioned on the ride over here."

"Oh, we're looking for where to go too, we should look together. I'm Ruby Xiao Long-Rose by the way"

Ren nodded at her suggestion. "Good idea. Do you have any clues on where we should go?"

Ruby and Jaune shook their heads. They didn't know the layout of Beacon any better then Ren did.

"Well" Nora piped up, "we could try that big auditorium-looking building I saw while up the tree. Looks like everyone was headed inside of there. Someone in there should know where to go."

Ren gave Nora a look before sighing. This seemed to be common thing between them.

With Nora leading the way, they headed for the auditorium, sharing information along the way. Ruby squealed in joy when Ren and Nora showed her their weapons and she had to stop herself from stroking them. She told them about her sisters, giving a basic description of each one and stated that she hoped that they could all get along as friends at Beacon.

When they finally reached the auditorium, Ruby rushed on ahead, eager to find her siblings. Jaune ran to keep up while Ren kept walking slowly, Nora keeping stride with him. This resulted in Ruby entering the auditorium with Jaune at her side and it was only him that her sisters saw beside her.

* * *

Back in the ballroom, Ruby was perplexed. She had mentioned Ren and Nora several times over the day to her sister; she just finished retelling the story. How could they have not known who Ren and Nora were unless…

Ruby tiled her head back and narrowed her eyes, glaring down at her sisters. "Were you guys ignoring me?" her voiced carried a very dark edge to it, one that sent shivers down the Sisters' spines.

"N-No, of course not" Blake said, sweat dripping down her brow, "we were…just so excited to be at Beacon that we, ummm…"

"You were ignoring me." If there was one thing that her sisters did that really ticked her off, it was when they ignored her. They never meant to do it, it was just that sometimes they got so focused on something that Ruby just didn't receive their full attention.

Closing her eyes and balling her fists at her side, Ruby started to shake. Ren, with Nora still on his back, backed up a few steps while the three Sisters frantically looked around for anything that could calm Ruby down.

It was no use; having changed into their sleepwear and given most of their luggage over to the school, none of them had any emergency cookies on hand. With no hope of avoid Ruby's wrath, Wiess and Blake latched onto Yang, who wrapped her arms protectively around them. The three closed their eyes, waiting for the explosion of anger and destruction that their little sister was capable of.

"I'm very disappointed in you guys." Ruby's voice was so soft and calm that it took a moment for her sisters to realize what she had said and open their eyes. Ruby was still standing there, hands at her side and looking down at her sisters will a calm, yet fierce expression.

"I expect much more from you guys." she turned and pointed at Ren and Nora. "Apology to Ren and Nora right now!"

It was not a request and Yang, Weiss and Blake immediately bowed their heads towards Ruby's new friends, apologizing profusely. Both Ren and Nora could only look on with raised eyebrows, not sure of what to make of this strange situation.

"And" Ruby continued, voice and posture still commanding, "You three are going to promise to be nice to them and do your best so that we can all be friends, got that?"

The Xiao Long sisters nodded, it was an easy promise to make. Ren and Nora both seemed like nice enough people and they could put some trust in Ruby's choice of friends.

"And to Jaune as well"

The Sisters stiffened. "Ruby, I think- "Weiss started only for Ruby to cut her off

"Promise me"

"But…but…" Yang stammered.

"PROMISE!" Ruby all but shouted, leaning forward and glaring right into her older sisters' eyes.

While it was a well-known fact in Patch that Ruby was loved dearly by her sisters, few knew just how much she had her entire family wrapped around her little finger. If she asked for anything earnestly enough, her father and sisters would deny her nothing. She could have taken advantage of that and become an absolutely spoiled brat, but she instead repaid every act of love with one of her own, making her sisters treasure her even more.

Ruby's wish was thus Yang, Weiss and Blake's command, and so Operation "Kill Jaune the Arch-Pervert to save the Ruby and the World from his vile lechery and horrible fashion-sense" was now suspended indefinitely.

With that all settled, Ruby said her goodbyes to Ren and Nora, promising to meet up with them after Initiation. She got ready for bed, making a point to lay down facing the wall, away from her sisters; she was still a bit angry at them

The Xiao Long Sisters frowned at this; this meant that she wouldn't be cuddling with any of them tonight. Sadden by this lost opportunity, the three decided to get some sleep as well. It was going to be a big day after all.

* * *

Morning rose over Beacon quickly and more then one applicant cursed at not getting enough sleep. The Xiao Long Sisters were used to getting up early, having spent the last few years doing so to get in some morning training before beginning the day. With practiced grace and efficiency, the four were up and going while most of the others were still struggling to wake up.

The girls quickly got dressed and grabbed a quick breakfast while the meal-hall was mostly empty. Ruby was back to her joyful, loving self, which put her sisters at ease. Her anger rarely lasted long, but it was still hurt a little having her feel that way towards them even for a short while.

They moved onto the locker room and, finding it almost deserted except for a girl with long red-hair in the corner, got to work getting their weapons ready. They took them out of their respective lockers and took the time making sure they were tuned up and ready for action.

For Yang, her weapon was called Ember Cilica. They were a pair of shotgun gauntlets, which matched her preference of hitting her opponents with her fists. At first, she had trouble figuring out an effective firing mechanism; triggers placed in her palms were too prone to accidentally firing or breaking under the stress of her punches.

It was Ruby who suggested that she use the motion of her punches as a means to both cock and fire her weapon. This was both more reliable and greatly increased her rate of fire, since she could shoot her shotguns as fast as she could punch. This also made it easier to use her guns in close-quarters combat, giving her fiery, explosive punches that she was now famous for.

The two spent several days working out the design, fine-tuning it would only fire when she meant for it to. It was a precious memory for Yang, of how Ruby helped her use her natural strength to gain even more power.

For Blake, her weapon was called Gambol Shroud. It consisted of a bladed sheath and a duel blade-gun combo. The gun was an automatic machine-pistol that could utilize elemental dust rounds, which she could also use with her Semblance. She could wield both sheath and sword together, using them with her agility and dexterity to attack from multiple angles.

When her sword was shifted into gun mode, the blade folded back and formed a sickle design. For a long time, she tried to find a way to use this alongside her other weapon forms, but outside of turning her gun around and swinging it in close quarters, which her sword would be better at, she was at an dead end.

That was until Ruby suggested that she tied a string of cloth to it and swing it around. This turned the pistol into a kusarigama, which greatly expanded Blake's reach. They spent many days and nights, researching which fabric would be strong enough and testing various lengths to find the right one for her.

It was a precious memory for Blake, of how Ruby helped her expand her horizons and add more to her repertoire of skills.

With Weiss, her weapon was Myrtenaster, whose default form was that of a rapier. It was an elegant weapon, which matched Weiss perfectly. She needed an straight and precise weapon to match her fighting and used her skill with Dust-manipulation to give her great versatility in battle.

She had difficulty at first at integrating the Dust-mechanics into the weapon effectively. Simply placing the Dust containers static along the hilt worked, but it didn't give her the control she wanted. She poured over her weapon and her blueprints of it, her perfectionist tendencies not letting her stop until she got what she wanted.

With only a single look, Ruby had suggested that she tried a revolver mechanism to contain her Dust vials, using a gun hammer to activate the Dust when it spun into position. It gave her more control and options without overtly complicating or weighting down her weapon.

Weiss had given Ruby a big kiss before they both got to work, remaking her weapon to make it more suitable for her. It was a precious memory, of Ruby helping her see outside the box to solve a problem.

A Huntress's weapon was an extension of her own soul, so it was no surprise really that each of the Xiao Long Sisters' weapon contained a bit of Ruby in them. Their little sister was, after all, one of the biggest and most important aspect of their lives. She spent almost as much time caring for and tinkering with their weapons as she did her own, constantly adding in new features and additions.

When the three were done with their own preparation, Ruby did her own once over of their weapons; it was very much like an instructor going over the work of her students. She was the weapon expert of the family and she wasn't about to let her sisters go out with their weapons poorly maintained.

It was only when she was satisfied that everything was in working order that she went to retrieve her own weapon. She was so focused on Crescent Rose and what sort of tune up it would need for Initiation that she didn't notice the tall red-hair girl until she walked right into her.

This would have been a small incident if it wasn't for their height difference. Because of that, Ruby ended up running head-first into the girl's chest.

She tried to stop herself by placing her hands in front of her, but once again Ruby found her face buried in another girl's cleavage. As strange as it was, this was something Ruby was used to; her head had been pressed against her sisters' chests more times then she could count. While it couldn't compare, this bust was quite nice; they were large, soft, supple and with the faint fragrance of spiced pumpkin.

It took Ruby a few seconds to fully understand that this was a stranger and not one of her sisters. She quickly pulled her head out and started apologizing profusely. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry"

The girl's green eyes looked on with complete shock. Her arms were lifted up to her sides, her hands clenched tightly under a pair of elbow-length red gloves. Even with her bronze armour on, it was pretty clear that her whole body was tense.

"I-It's, ummm…no problem?" the girl finally said, her voice shaking and uncertain. "Can you…maybe…l-let go now?"

Ruby looked down and finally noticed that she had placed her hands in front of her to stop her collision, which meant that she was now groping this girl's chest. She removed her hands lightning fast and took several steps back, continuing her apologies.

Weiss noticed the commotion and quickly walked over to make sure Ruby was alright. She quickly surmised that Ruby was neither hurt nor in any real trouble, so she started to examine this new girl. As she looked her over, one thought became very clear.

" _This girl…has an amazing rack…"_ Weiss may have been the prim and proper one, but her mind could still fall into the gutter sometime. Looking over this girl's figure, she could have sworn that she had seen her face, and bust, somewhere before.

"I know where I've seen you before!" Weiss exclaimed, snapping her finger. Both Ruby and the girl turned towards her, the red-head wincing. She seemed to know what Weiss was about to say and didn't want to hear it.

"You're the one on every new box of Pumpkin Pete's cereal!"

The girl just stared at her, her mouth falling open. That was where she recognized her from? One of the more minor product promotions she had done. Had they not heard of her record-breaking victory at the Mistral Regional Tournaments? It was all over the major CCT news networks. Did they live out in the boonies or something?

The case was that one of Ruby's favorite shows just so happened to be on at the same time the Mistral Regionals were being aired; which one to watch had been no choice at all.

She took several deep breathes and calmed herself. This was fine; she had come to Beacon to get away from her fame. This is what she wanted, the chance to meet with people without her reputation getting in the way, but it was still odd for her not be immediately be showered with praise and platitudes; at least those directed at her status as a champion.

"My name is…Pyrrha" she decided to leave out her last name for the moment. "It's…nice to meet you"

Yang and Blake walked up to the group and were quickly filled in on what happened. After a quip from Yang about Ruby looking where she was going, the four introduced themselves.

"But man," Yang said, eyeing Pyrrha up, "Pumpkin Pete's? They only put famous athletes and cartoon characters on the box, right?"

Pyrrha scratched her head, not sure of what to say. She couldn't deny that she was the one of Pumpkin Pete's, but she didn't want to reveal exactly who she was. Despite how it began, this was probably the most normal interactive with other people that she had experienced in a long time.

Blake noticed her indecision and stepped in. "Hey, how about you tell us all about it after Initiation? There a new café that just opened up downtown; I heard they serve great tea. We could all go together and get to know each other."

Blake understood that there were somethings you didn't want to talk about right away and that it was better to take things slowly.

Pyrrha looked over at Blake before nodding. "That…sounds lovely" A small, but genuine smile appeared on her face.

Ruby smiled as she retrieved her weapon, glad that everything seemed to be going well. She didn't know what she had been worried about; making friends was easier then she though.

Speaking of friends, she noticed Jaune enter the locker room, a piece of paper in his hands.

"Hey Jaune! Over here" she called out.

Pyrrha noticed that three Xiao Long sisters all stiffen at hearing that name and they slowly turned their heads towards him, glaring all the while. The blonde boy noticed the group and walked over to them. Ruby enthusiastically greeted him and proceeded to introduce her sisters and Pyrrha to him.

"Hello there' Jaune said, moving close to Weiss, "Name Jaune. Jaune Arc. What do you say to us getting to know each other better? You could join my team; it would be pretty great I think.

Weiss back a step away from him, not sure at how to response. Behind Jaune's back, Yang clenched her fists tightly while a low hiss emanated from Blake at what was happening to her dear twin.

" _My God! Does this guy have no shame"_ the Sisters thought collectively, " _First coming on to Ruby and now this? His sexual appetite is endless; the worst kind of man."_ If it wasn't for there promise to Ruby, they would have kicked his ass all over the school.

Pyrrha hesitantly spoke up. "Actually, I think that teams at Beacon are composed of 4 people each so…"

"Well then…" Jaune started before Ruby interrupted him.

"Sorry Jaune but the four us are going to be on a team together." Ruby stepped up to Jaune "We're a family you know; and family sticks together.

Her silver eyes suddenly darken and her voice gained a hard-edge.

'And no one is taking them from me…" she said in a loud whisper.

Jaune and Pyrrha could only blink several times, not sure of how to response as Ruby immediately started smiling brightly again. The young girl didn't fully realize what she had done and to her she hadn't uttered a threat or anything, only a fact; a fact that she wanted her new friend to fully understand.

'O-okay. Well…I suppose that I should get going…" Pyrrha started to turn and walk away. Meeting Ruby and her sisters was definitely a unique experience for her; one that she wasn't entirely sure how to classify.

"H-hey wait" Jaune cried, "if you play for cards right, you could-"

Jaune's reached out to grab her shoulder, not with any great force; he just wanted her to stay for a moment. His hand barely touched her, his fingers only lightly contacting her bare skin.

That was enough. With lightning fast reflexes, Pyrrha spun around and brandished her weapon. Her spear extended and with expert precision, she stabbed in right above his shoulder, catching the hoodie with the tip. Pulling the trigger, the rifle section at end fired, sending Jaune flying across the room and pinning him to the wall next to the door.

Silence filled the room as the Xiao Long Sisters stared at the immobile and stunned Jaune before slowly turning to look at Pyrrha. The calm, focus expression she wore while preforming that maneuver turned into shock and horror as she realized what she had done.

"I-I-I…. I'm sorry. **I'M SORRY!"** Dashing forward, Pyrrha grabbed her weapon and ran out of the room, crying out her apology all the while.

Weiss, Blake and Yang simply tilted their heads at all this. They had to admit, that was a bit of an extreme reaction. They worried for a moment if it was safe to be around her, before remembering that Ruby had practically groped her and yet she didn't lash out. It was probably because it was Jaune, the Arch-Pervert, and her body reacted simply to being touched by such pure evil.

It also brought up an interesting idea. While they had promised Ruby that they would be nice to Jaune, which generally precluded them from viciously murdering him, there was nothing against getting someone else to do the righteous deed.

The elder sisters exited the locker room, plans on how to orchestrate Jaune's downfall without dirtying their own hands swirling in their minds. They spared the still stunned boy a less then friendly grin, seeing his current state as being nothing less then what he deserved.

Ruby stayed behind a moment and helped Jaune up.

"Why does this keep happening. I though that all girls looked for in a guy was confidence." Jaune said dejectedly as he got to his feet.

"Well, simply being confident isn't going to make people like you" Ruby answered. "You have to be kind and understanding and just a good person overall"

Ruby looked at Jaune, the intensity in her silver eyes giving him pause

"But…more then anything…you just have to be yourself. If it's meant to be, then you being you will be just what they need. And, with some luck, they'll be what you need; be it as a friend or something more. It will be…perfect in the end."

Ruby smiled, not the bright smile of an excited kid, but one that was filled with gentle calmness and even wisdom. "It worked out for me, though maybe I just got really lucky."

Ruby turned and left the room, hurrying to catch up with her sisters, leaving Jaune even more confused over what exactly to make of this girl and her family.

Ruby caught up with her sisters outside and the four began walking towards the exam site. They were pretty early, so they should have plenty of time to scout out the area and get a feel for what the exam might be.

"This exam should be mostly focused on killing Grimm, but we could be made to fight the other applicants." Blake mused aloud.

"But we're also being formed into teams, so it should also be about how well we work together" Yang added. "Hey Weiss, what do you thin-"

Like a bolt of white lightening, Weiss suddenly took off running down the pathway. She jumped forward and slid across the ground, grabbing something as she went. She stopped after a few feet of sliding and laid still, face down in the dirt.

Her sisters stood silently, staring at her still form.

Weiss leap back onto her feet and spun around to face her sisters, her face covered in dirt.

"I got it!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly and held up two fingers. In-between them was a slightly dirty two-lien coin.

"Geez Weiss" Yang groaned, "I doubt that's going to be absolutely vital for you 'build-the- biggest-company-in-the-world' fund."

'Besides, you could have just walked up to get it" Blake added.

"And let someone else run up and take it? I think not." Weiss pulled out a small but bulging coin-purse from her jacket and deposited the coin within. "All great things come from small beginnings and the Xiao Long Dust Company will be no different."

She then pulled out a handkerchief and started wiping off her face. She tapped a finger against her coat and sent a bit of Aura into it. Black patterns suddenly appeared across her white coat and dress, the gravity Dust she had woven into it reacting to her Aura. All the dirt that covered her clothes was drawn to a handful of specific points across the coat, coalescing into small balls. After a few seconds, the dirt balls were launched away a few inches, landing on the ground and leaving Weiss looking completely clean again.

This was Weiss's self-cleaning clothing. It was only a prototype, requiring frequent tune-ups and adjustments, but was still an amazing piece of Dust technology. It was sure to be the first hot product of the Xiao Long Dust Company, taking the Dust and Fashion worlds by storm.

But first she had to graduate as a top Huntress and launch a successful music career first before she found her business. There was a lot of work to do…

Weiss's sisters walked to her, shaking their heads. She could be such a magpie at times, picking up anything shiny and hording it away; she was almost as bad as Blake in that regard. It meant that the others had to be pretty careful with their loose change, least it finds its way into Weiss's 'fund'.

Yang frowned while looking at Weiss and snatched the handkerchief from her hand. Licking the corner of it, she proceeded to wipe of some dirt from her face that she had missed.

Weiss didn't try to stop her, simply letting her big sister fuss over her. If was a bit annoying and embarrassing, but it was something she could easily forgive them for. That was why she did what she did; the prototype Dust clothes, the penny-pinching, the plans to found and run a successful business. It was for her family.

Family was the most important thing there was and she would do anything for them. She would repay her Debt to them, no matter what.

* * *

 **This chapter is a bit shorter then the previous ones, due to me deciding to split this chapter into two parts. I wanted to get something out and this seemed to be a good spot for a cut. I hope to get the next part finished fairly soon.**

 **People have been speculating on what the girls' weapons will be and I hadn't thought too much on making them different, beside adding a few extras on them. Blake has a machine-pistol as her range-weapon now, with both semi-auto and full auto options for more firepower. I have altered Weiss's weapon a good deal, with it now having a second form that will be shown next chapter. Others features will be shown off later, namely at the fight at the docks, though if any of you have ideas for what would be cool additions for RWBY's weapons, feel free to share.**

 **For JNPR, Jaune and Ren's appearances are the same. Nora has two bracelets and a choker around her neck while Pyrrha is wearing long gloves. The purpose of these will be revealed next chapter. Their weapons are the same, though with Ruby around, changes could be made to them over time, so give any suggestions for upgrades to JNPR's weapons.**

 **For pairings, I'm still not completely set on a single course. It seems like people are pretty split on Pollination vs RWBYxJNPR. I'll let it simmer a bit more before making a final decision. So, post your feeling on whether for it to go with Pollination or some sort of combination with JNPR. If you have specific pairings in mind, let me know. However, there will be no inter-RWBY pairings like WhiteRose or Bumblebee. My idea is the girls love each other equally, so Ruby deciding she loves Weiss more then Blake or Yang won't work in this context. There will be plenty of one-on-on moments between the girls, building on their individual relationships with one another.**

 **For explicitness, I have never intended to write a full sex scene or anything like that. At most it would be implying that they had sex but cut-away before it got serious. For Pollination, nothing romantic would begin to happen until at least Vol.3. For JNPR, if it is Pollination, I will do something different with them. They will be an important part of the story, as I do like them a lot, though I promise to keep the main focus on RWBY.**

 **That's all for now. I hope to get the next part up soon and have a clear idea of where to go with the pairing by then. I want to take my readers feelings into account but the final decision is mine to make. Even if it isn't want you wanted, I hope you'll keep reading and supporting this story. So please, leave a review or PM and tell me what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4: Initation-Part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

 **Chapter 4: Initiation- Part 2**

 _Family is the most important thing there is, and I will do anything for them._

That thought was at the forefront of Weiss's mind as she soared through the air, the wind whipping through her hair. Below her, the green canopy of the Emerald Forest spread out before her in all directions. She would be getting better acquainted with the forest in a few moments as her airborne momentum began to slow.

Of all the methods of testing applicants, launching them into the Grimm-infested Emerald Forest was not the one she expected. She could understand that it was all about seeing how well they could deal with unexpected situations and complete an objective in a hostile environment.

Her problem with the whole thing was on how teammates were to be selected. Seriously, first person you make eye-contact is your partner for the next four years? What asinine policy was that? Only a complete fool would leave something as important as this up to fate.

The three Xiao Long Sisters had shared a look when that piece of information was given and they had the exact same thought.

 _One of us has to be partners with Ruby at all costs!_

They would not let their little sister be stuck with a total stranger for the next four years. Who but them knew how to make cookies with the exactly right amount of chocolate chips that she liked? Who else would make sure that she washed behind her ears and went to bed at a reasonable time? One of these random wannabe heroes? Not a chance.

As Weiss's altitude began to drop, she angled her body and got ready to employ her personal landing strategy.

She activated her Semblance and a small black glyph appeared just under her feet. Just as she broke through the top of the forest, she focused on the trunk of a nearby tree. Another, larger glyph appeared on the tree and Weiss's trajectory changed towards it.

While the Schnee Family liked to claim that they had the only glyph-type Semblances in the world, that was far from the case. Other kinds of glyph Semblances did exist, they just were quite rare and all had different abilities. What the Schnees could do, she had no idea; they liked to talk up their Semblance and how it could be inherited but got tight-lipped on exact details. All that Weiss and the general public knew was that it was apparently very powerful and utilized white coloured glyphs.

Weiss's black glyphs were comparatively simple; they could pull things towards them. With energy and effort, she could adjust the size and force of it, increasing the range of it's pull. But that would cause everything in front of the glyph to be pulled in haphazardly, which was far too imprecise for Weiss's liking.

With training and experimentation, she had discovered that she could link two glyphs together. This would accomplish little by itself, but if one of the glyphs was smaller then the other and attached to an object, that object would be drawn specifically to the larger glyph without fail. Nothing else would be affected, only the object with the glyph on it.

With the small glyph, the Target, attached to the bottom of her feet, Weiss was guided towards the tree with the large glyph, the Anchor. When the two glyphs met, Weiss was firmly attached to the side of the giant tree. She would only remain like that for a few seconds; the glyphs could only hold together for a short time unless she put some Gravity Dust into them.

Those few seconds were all she needed for now. Angling downward, Weiss jumped off the tree and headed for its neighbor, canceling the Anchor glyph behind her and re-summoning it on the other tree trunk. She proceeded to jump between the two trees, zigzagging downwards in a controlled descent.

She hit the ground hard, but nowhere near as much if she had simply fallen normally. She took the impact perfectly, going into a roll before standing back up on her feet.

"…Nailed it" she said softly to herself. She brushed her coat off a bit before pulling out a compact mirror. She checked that her face wasn't dirty or that her hair was out of place; even in a combat situation one should always look their best. Once she was satisfied that everything was good, she put the compact away, closed her eyes and reached out with her Aura.

Six years ago, Yang had taken her sisters to an abandoned building on the far side of Patch, on a fool's errand of finding her birth mother. It was stupid, but the loss of Summer was still fresh and they fooled themselves into believing that it might go away if Yang's mother could be found.

They found the Grimm instead and as the beasts leapt forward to devour them, something special happened. Blake and Weiss's Auras, which they had very little control over, flared into life at the same time that both Yang and Ruby's unlocked due to the danger. For a brief moment as they huddled together, their Auras melded together and became as one. It lasted for only a second; their uncle Qrow appeared and cut the Grimm down, but ever since the girls had a very unique connection.

If Weiss concentrated, she could sense her sisters even if they were far away. In her mind's eye, it was like there were three burning flames, each representing the soul of one of her siblings. If they were in the same room as her, the flame would be coloured; allowing her to tell exactly where each of her sisters were and which was which. But at this distance, they were vague, bluish-white spot on a wall of black.

Concentrating, Weiss could tell that two of her sisters were south of her position and were fairly close to each other. The other was in the opposite direction and she was all alone. Weiss set out north, towards the single flame. If Ruby was one of the two to the south, she could trust that either Blake or Yang would find her and be her partner. If Ruby was the one that was by herself, then it was up to Weiss to get to her before anyone else.

Weiss clenched her fists she thought of someone else being Ruby's partner. It would be the worst-case scenario if it was that arch-pervert Jaune. If he was Ruby's partner, then that meant he would be in the same dorm as her, sharing the same space as her.

" _What if…"_ Weiss thought as her imagination began to run wild again. " _to force partners to bond, they make them share the same bed? GAHHHHHH!"_ Such a notion was completely ludicrous, but her worry for Ruby once again overruled her common sense.

"If that blonde bastard even thinks of touching her I'll…" From Weiss's mouth came a full litany of curses and threats, so dark and foul that even the creatures of Grimm would have backed away from her. This was because that, while Weiss may have the voice of an angel, she also had the mouth of a sailor.

Her parents had been absolutely shocked when she dropped her first F-bomb at the tender age of eight. They had given her uncle Qrow both a verbal and physical beatdown for being such a bad influence despite all his pleas of innocence.

It wasn't Qrow's or any other adult's fault that she had discovered swear words. They just came to her, from the back of her mind. It was almost like she was remembering the dream of a memory, of someone saying those words to another person. She couldn't fully describe it and thus never told her parents about.

She tried her best to not speak like that around her family, she wanted to be the graceful and elegant one, but sometimes it just spilled out. This was mostly when she got angry; more then one person had been left stunned after she unleashed a profanity-filled tirade in a moment of rage.

So, with the curses flying from her mouth, Weiss took off in a run towards where she Sensed her sister to be.

* * *

Yang walked eastward through the forest, hands behind her head. After completely nailing her landing, she had been walking for what seemed like forever. She had used her Sense to see that one of her sisters was in this general direction, but she hadn't seen hide or hair of anyone.

"Helllooooo. Ruby…Weiss…. Blake. Anyone there? Getting bored here…" Silence was the only answer Yang got. Before she could reiterate herself in a louder voice, the sound of a twig snapping drew her attention to some nearby bushes.

"Ruby, is that you?" Yang ran up to the bushes, pushing them aside to see what was behind them. "Nope" was all she said as she got a good look at what was there.

Backflipping, Yang dodged a swipe from the Ursa's claws. She landed in the middle of a small clearing and got into a fighting stance, extending Ember Cilica. The large bear Grimm crashed through the undergrowth after her. It was soon joined by another Ursa and so Yang was left facing two Grimm.

Yang frowned slightly; this was it? Only two measly Grimm was hardly a challenge for her; certainly not what she expected as the test to get in Beacon. She had thought that it would be a whole horde of them at least.

Whatever. She would wipe the floor with these teddy bears and get back to locating her sisters. With a feral grin that match those of her opponents, Yang launched herself at the Ursai.

The beasts of darkness seemed caught off guard by this and Yang was able to get a solid hit on one, sending it tumbling away. Its partner responded with a wide slash of its claws, which Yang easily ducked under. A swift uppercut staggered the Ursa back and series of shotgun-filled punches had it on the backfoot. Yang was about to go for a finishing blow when the crack of a gun filled the air. It hadn't come from her shotguns, so she whirled around to see.

She saw that the first Ursa had gotten back onto it's feet far faster then she thought and had tried to attack her while her back was turned. Instead, the beast was staring dumbly at the bullet hole in it's arm, which had prevented it from following through with its attack.

The Grimm didn't ponder where the bullet hole came from for long, as a gun-sickle attached to a long black cloth shot out from beyond the clearing and impaled its blade into the Grimm's temple. The red glow of its eyes went out and it fell to the ground before beginning to dissolved.

Yang let out a little huff at all this before jumping high into the air and backflipping. The second Ursa, who had attempted the same plan as its fellow Grimm, struck only air as Yang flipped in the air and landed on its shoulders. Yang unleashed a barrage of shotgun-blasts point-blank into the top of Ursa's head before landing a final punch that shattered the Grimm's skull completely.

Yang jumped off the collapsing bear and casually walked to the centre of the clearing, flipping some of her hair over her shoulder.

"I had that completely under control, you know" she said out loud. She was met with only silence for a moment before the rustle of leaves drew her attention to the side.

Blake stepped out of the foliage, her weapon in her hands. Making the leaves rustle was entirely for Yang's benefit; she could move through it completely silent if she wished. She twirled her gun-sickle around a few times before turning it back into a sword and re-sheathing it on her back.

"Yeah' she answered with a smirk on her face, "but you would have been short a strand or two of hair if I hadn't stepped in" Yang's reflexes were great and Blake had no illusions that Yang would have dodged the first surprise attack as easily as she did the second. However, Blake realized in that split second that her sister's lion mane of hair would become a casualty and so intervened to save it and thus the entire forest from being destroyed in Yang's rage.

"Anyway, we should be goin- "Blake was cut off as Yang rushed forward and wrapped her in hug.

"Thank you, Thank you! Oh, you are just wonderful" Yang's hug was as bone-crushing as ever and Blake struggled to breathe. She tapped Yang's arm repeatably, asking her to let go.

"It's the best, you know" Yang said, ignoring Blake's silent pleas, "when you most precious treasure is saved by your other most precious treasure."

Drawing on her knowledge of escape artistry, Blake breathed in deeply, contracting her body slightly and giving her enough leeway to slip out of Yang's grip. She backed away a few steps, coughing as she took several deep breathes; Yang's affections were damn near-lethal.

"How about instead of hugging me to death, we go about find those other two 'most precious treasures' of yours?"

Yang tiled her head slightly. "But…my designer brand shampoo is in my bag at Beacon and Bumblebee is still at the house on Patch…"

Blake's cat ears flattened while her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed together into an adorable pout. Yang's couldn't keep up the charade is the face of such cuteness.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. So, what's your take on where Weiss and Ruby are?" Blake's face straightened out at Yang's question and she turned northwards.

"They're both north of us and are close to each other. It would take too much time to get to them from here. Our best bet is to head east towards the Temple and meet with them there" Blake was the best at tracking and also the best at using the Sense. She could get the most accurate measure of how far away the others were and where they were in relation to the local area.

It also made playing hide-and-seek impossible when she was it; almost as much as her Semblance made playing tag a pain.

Yang nodded at her sister's suggestion. She started walking until she remembered something and turned to Blake. "Hey…how did your landing go?"

Blake looked at her sister for a second before giving a big smile and a thumb's up. "Nailed it, obviously".

Yang smiled back and the two set out for the Forest Temple, where the next part of the Initiation and hopefully their sisters, would be waiting for them.

* * *

Ruby ran through the forest, calling her sisters' names. After totally nailing her landing, she took off in the direction she thought they were suppose to be heading. She hadn't seen either Grimm or another person in what had felt like ages. If only she had some way to tell where her sisters where…

Ruby skidded to a halt and almost slapped herself. She could just use her Sense to find her sisters. She closed her eyes and slowly turned in a circle, reaching out with her senses and her mind. She soon saw that one of her sisters was close, very close. It looked like a white flame was moving…directly at her?

Ruby opened her eyes just in time for a white streak to collide with her, knocking her to the ground. When she regained her senses, she discovered she was gazing at a very familiar pair of pale blue eyes.

"WEISS!"

"RUBY!"

The sisters embraced and Weiss quickly got off of Ruby, pulling her to her feet and quickly checking to see if she was hurt.

"I'm fine, I'm fine" Ruby assured her sister, "It just great to see you; I was beginning to think I wasn't going to find anyone out here."

"But of course, I would come to find you. I'll never let anything bad happen- "Weiss suddenly cut herself off, turning her head to the side. Ruby didn't know what she was doing; it was like she was listening to something. Ruby herself could only hear the gentle rustling of the leavings in the wind, the chirping of some birds and…wait…there was something else. It almost sounded like…

Weiss suddenly grabbed Ruby and turned her around. She took the headphones resting around her neck and placed them firm over her ears. She placed her hands on her younger sisters back and forcibly marched her forward.

"No time to idle around. We need to hurry up and complete this test. Yes sir, no time at all to hang around here." Ruby simply let her sister do what she wanted; they were always doing something like this. It was probably nothing she had to worry about.

In the distance, Jaune Arc was flailing about as he tried desperately to free himself. Twice now he had found himself stuck to something by a spear through his hoodie. He was beginning to wonder if this was all a sign or something.

"Help! Someone, help me" he called out. He had heard a noise just beyond the trees and though it might be other people. He continued to shout, hoping that they could came and help him down before some Grimm arrived.

With her headphones on, Ruby wasn't able to hear Jaune's pleas. Weiss could and she continued to march Ruby away from him, a truly wicked smile on her face.

Jaune Arc was, in her mind, getting exactly what he deserved.

* * *

For the next 20 minutes, Weiss literally pushed Ruby onward, staying behind her so as to not deviated from the course. At first her hands were firmly placed on Ruby's back; this slowly shifted to a more gently grip on her shoulders before wrapping her arms around Ruby and leaning into her, her head pressed against the back of her neck. This change in posture was due to a certain line of thought passing through her mind.

" _I'm partners with Ruby…. I"M PARTNERS WITH RUBY!"_

This was the absolute best day ever. They were going to be together for the next four years; they could do so many fun things, like painting their nails, trying on cute clothes and discussing trends in the global economy. Maybe Beacon, to force teammates to bond, would make them share a bed; that would be absolutely fantastic.

All of the activities Weiss was thinking about, economics and bed-sharing included, were things that she did on a regular basis with Ruby already. But every day with Ruby was a treasure, so being able to continue that at Beacon filled her with joy.

Less joyful was Ruby. "Weiss, can you let go of me now?" The only response from the white-haired girl was the sound of cooing, giggles and the occasional mad cackle as Weiss was completely absorbed in planning out how they were going to be the best partners ever.

Weiss had just gotten to the point of planning out how they could wear matching T-shirts when she suddenly lost her balance. Opening her eyes, she noticed that instead of holding her baby sister, there was only empty air between her arms; empty except for a small cloud of falling rose petals.

"RUBY! Get back here!" Weiss shouted and stomped after the trail of petals. It led her to a large clearing. She looked around but saw no immediate sign of her sister.

"You can run" she said aloud, slowly walking to the centre of the clearing, "You can hide. But you can't escape my LOVE!" Seriously, didn't Ruby know by now how important cuddling with her was, how it help to focus her mind? This could be vital for her passing the Initiation and she just had to dash off; sometimes Ruby just couldn't see the bigger picture.

Weiss stopped dead in her tracks as she sensed something was off. A series of low growls hummed through the air and several pairs of glowing red eyes appeared in the underbrush. In short order, an entire pack of Beowolves emerged, surrounding Weiss on all sides.

The white-haired Huntress wasn't the least be worried about this. She calmly drew her weapon, straightened her back, step one foot forward (but not too far forward) and got ready to fight them.

The Grimm obliged and two of them, one in front of Wiess and the another directly behind, charged towards her. Weiss tensed and prepared to attack before tilting her head slightly, as if listening to something.

Just before the Grimm reach her, Weiss quickly pivoted around, her rapier pointed forward in her right hand while her left was outstretched to the side. Her action impaled one of the Grimm right in the chest, killing it, while seemingly leaving her exposed to it's comrade.

Just as the Beowolf was about to slash at Weiss's back, a bright red steak shot from the top of a treeline and decapitate the Grimm. The speeding mass of red was revealed to be Ruby, weapon in hand as she deactivated her Semblance and landed close to Weiss. She reached out her hand and latched onto Weiss's outstretched one.

Weiss pivoted again, using Ruby's momentum to swing both of them around to face two more charging Grimm. Weiss's sword took the head off of one and Ruby fired her rifle point-blank at the other. As the two sisters stopped their shared spin and stood back to back, they were surrounded by four dead Grimm and over two dozen living ones, all ready to fight.

Weiss spared a brief glance backwards at Ruby. She hadn't received any sort of communication with her; she had simply had a strong feeling that she should take those certain actions. Doubtless Ruby had done the same, acting on instinct and the result was clear. All four sisters shared this wordless bond, the result of years training, sparring and simply being together. They could often fight as a team with an incredible degree of coordination that left the Signal instructors baffled.

The entire pack charged now and the sisters got to work. They moved like a small whirlwind of death, constantly moving, spinning and twisting around each other. Weiss would duck and let Ruby do a wide sweep with longer weapon while she stabbed between Ruby's legs at a Grimm's foot. The rapid motion confused the Grimm, as the girl they were targeting would suddenly move and the other would hit them. It was almost like the two were dancing with each other and soon another ten Grimm lay dead on the forest floor.

The remaining Grimm backed off and began to attack more cautiously. They began attacking in pairs, keeping their distance and retreating quickly. The pace of fighting decreased and the sisters slowed their movements, facing the Grimm side-by-side.

Weiss, eager to be done with this and still miffed at having her cuddling of Ruby cut short, spun the Dust-revolver on her rapier. She selected the Burn Dust and activated it, coating her blade in fire. A downward stab sent stream of fire forward into the pack of Beowolves, incinerating three of them instantly. The remaining Grimm backed away from the flames and beat a hasty retreat, fleeing back into the forest.

"AHA" Weiss shouted out, "Take that you gutless motherfu- "she stopped in mid-curse, looking at Ruby. She coughed into her fist before resuming. "Begone, you yellow-bellied rapscallions."

Ruby didn't say anything, simply pointing one finger forward. Weiss followed it and saw that the fire she had created was continuing to grow at a rapid pace, spreading to the nearby trees and bushes.

"That's right…wood burns…" Weiss's voice was calm and steady. The two sisters looked at each other, the same though coming their minds.

"CHEESE IT!" With the Xiao Long family's cry of retreat, the two took off in the opposite direction of inferno. This was not to first time they had set fire to a forest and they didn't want to stick around.

After several minutes of hard running, the girls reach a grassy hill where they stopped to catch their breaths. The fire was only a column of smoke is the distance, so they were safe for the moment.

"Since when has wood been flammable?" Weiss said angrily as she gasped in air. Ruby could only look at her sister and sigh.

Weiss, like all of them, had been taught to be humble and sincere, to always own up to her mistakes; and Weiss would do so for any and all honest mistakes she made. However, Weiss was also very prideful and had a much harder time admitting to 'stupid' mistakes. Despite her great intelligence, Weiss was just as likely to have those errors in judgement as anyone else, but she would instead try and place the blame on something else.

Hence why the girl who constantly got perfect scores on all her tests was questioning why trees were flammable all of a sudden.

Weiss stepped up to Ruby and grasped her shoulders. "If any one asks what happened…"

"It wasn't our fault" Ruby answered. "It was a group of young and irresponsible Grimm playing with matches without adult supervision. We are completely innocent in this particular affair."

Weiss patted her head. "Good girl" As much as honesty was a virtue for their family, they were still young and thus had much experience coming up with excuses for damaged and destroyed property.

"Alright! Time to get back on track". With this proclamation, Weiss boldly set out in a confident stride.

"Weiss?' Ruby spoke up, "The temple is to the east, you know, the other way".

Weiss halted in mid-step. "Ummm, of course. Yes…the temple is this way… definitely". She set out in another direction which, while closer then before, was still not heading east.

Ruby simply shook her head and sighed again. Even with all her smarts, Weiss was hopeless when it came to directions. She could follow her Sense well enough, but other situations required her to have both a map and GPS to prevent her getting lost and sidetracked.

Ruby spotted something on the ground and knelt to pick it up. Gears began to turn in her head as she saw this as a way to make up for lost time and get to the temple quickly.

"Hey Weiss!" The white-haired girl turned to see Ruby holding a large black feather in her hand.

"I have a great idea"

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos had been trained to never show even a trace of fear. Whether it was in a spar, in the finals of the Mistral Regionals or against the Grimm, fear was not allowed to be present. So, when she placed her hands over her mouth as her face adopted an expression of pure shock and horror, it was not due for fear for herself; rather for someone else.

"Y-you don't have an Aura?" she asked Jaune, her voice shaking. As the blonde boy shook his head no, the Champion of Mistral was overwhelmed with an intense feeling of self-loathing.

She had felt terrible for what she had done to Jaune in the locker room. She raked her brain on how she could make it up to him, after he was simply being friendly to her, but couldn't think of anything before the Initiation began.

When she saw him falling from the sky, clearly having trouble with his landing strategy, she quickly decided to help him. Being so far away, her best option was to throw her spear to catch and pin him to a tree before he hit the ground. It was more then a little strange, and perhaps insulting, to save Jaune in the exact same manner she attacked him early and she shouted out a loud apology as her spear struck home.

She rushed towards the Jaune's location as fast as she could, praying that she got there before the Grimm did. She was relieved beyond words to find him safe and sound, though struggling vainly to free himself.

She was relieved again when, after helping him down, he made it clear that he had no hard feelings over what happened earlier and was more then happy for the save. It took her several moments to realize that, as he was the first person she had made eye contact with since landing, Jaune was now her partner.

Thinking about it, that was a good thing. Jaune seemed like a very nice and friendly person and best of all, didn't know who she was. She had been afraid that she would end up on a team of fawning fans, people who were only friendly because of her fame.

With Jaune, that didn't appear to be the case. If she could keep her past a secret for a while longer, she might have a chance at making real friends.

The fact that he was pretty easy on the eyes was a nice addition as well.

Things were actually looking up for Pyrrha as they set out. That changed when she accidentally hit Jaune in the face with a tree branch. Noticing that he didn't activate his Aura had led her to question if he knew about Aura, with him answering no.

This meant that Pyrrha had thrown her spear and nearly impaled a boy who had no Aura to protect him. Twice! What if her aim had been just a little off? She could have stabbed him right through the shoulder; hell, she could have hit him in the chest and killed him!

" _Stupid, stupid Pyrrha."_ This and other harsh opinions of herself whirled in the red-head's mind. Why was it always like this? When Ruby had collided with her in the locker room, she had been a hair's breadth away from clocking the girl right in the jaw; she probably would have broken it. Only the fact that she had groped her, which was something Pyrrha had no experience with and thus was shocked still by, saved her. If not, Pyrrha could have attacked a poor innocent girl by sheer reflex, prompting her sisters to retaliated and getting all of them kicked out of the Initiation.

She had almost ruined everything for several people; all because of who and what she was. It wasn't supposed to be like this, her destiny was to be…

"Pyrrha, are you okay?"

Jaune's question prompted Pyrrha to come back to the present. Her paling face and horrified expression was more then a little worrying and he was wondering if he had said something wrong. Pyrrha moved her hands to her sides and took several deep breathes, thinking about how she could make this right.

If the issue was that Jaune didn't have his Aura unlocked, then she could do it for him. That meant she would have to…touch him. Pyrrha gathered her resolved; she absolutely had to do this, to make things right.

She explained briefly what Aura was, that it was like a forcefield, and that she could help unlock his. She instructed him to stand still and to close his eyes. Reaching out, she very gently rested one hand on his chest plate before touching his face with the very tips of her gloved fingers. This minimal contact was the most she could do to hold back her natural impulse to turn this physical interaction into something violent.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."

She exhaled deeply as she finished reciting this ancient incantation. It wasn't necessary at all to unlock Jaune's Aura, but it did help focus her Aura in the specific way needed to touch another's. In many ways, this was a more intimate act then touching someone face and yet she was more comfortable with this.

As she fed her Aura into Jaune, reaching and unlocking his own potential, the last words of the incantation echoed in her mind. She vowed that she would protect Jaune from any and all things that would harm him. Her destiny was to be a great protector of humanity, so this was the least she could do for him.

* * *

"Ruby, this was a terrible idea!" Weiss shouted as loudly as she could, which was made difficult by the wind whipping around her.

"It's fine, stop worrying" Ruby's answer did little to reassure Weiss.

"I am _so_ far beyond worrying" Weiss's voice was laced with sarcasm, enough that most anyone wouldn't mistake exactly what she was saying. That didn't include Ruby, who looked at her sister with a confused look.

"In a bad way Ruby!" Weiss said just before Ruby could ask if it was in a good way, "In a very bad way!"

Seriously, how did Ruby convince her that hitching a ride on a giant Nevermore was even a remotely good idea in the first place. She still wasn't even completely sure how they even got on this beast and yet now they were speeding through the air, hanging on for dear life.

"Is this thing even going the right way?" With the wind blowing, it was hard to even keep their eyes open and it was impossible to see what was below; they could have passed the temple and not even noticed.

"Of course, …I think" Ruby's answer did not inspire any confident with this course of action at all. It was this kind utter lack of planning or preparation that could make Weiss absolutely furious.

As previously established, Weiss was just as likely to make stupid mistakes as anyone else, especially when she was riled up. Thus, she stood up straight on the moving Nevermore and was about to walk over to Ruby and give her a proper lecture on not leaping into to things without thinking them through.

Normally, this act of irony would have resulted in Weiss falling back from the wind, tumbling down the Nevermore's back before grabbing on again. Unfortunately for Weiss, Ruby had decided to check if they were indeed going the right way and had brandished her weapon, aiming at the Grimm's wing tip.

Pulling the trigger, she hit the wing and caused the Nevermore to turn almost vertically, revealing the forest under them. Ruby observation of the ground below was quickly cut off by the sound of Weiss screaming. As she was standing up and not holding on, the sudden turn sent her flying into the air.

Ruby looked at the soaring white figure for a moment before springing into action. "Wait for me Weiss!" She jumped off the Nevermore's back, using her rifle to give her momentum to catch up with her sister.

The avian Grimm was not happy at being used as a springboard and quickly set out to follow these human pests.

* * *

Blake focused as much as possible, her eyes closed as she reached out with her Sense. She could feel that Ruby and Weiss were close, and were getting closer, but she couldn't see them at all in her mind's eye. It was like they just up and disappeared but were still nearby.

Opening her eyes, she was greeting by a large golden chess piece being held in front of her face.

"How bout a cute little pony?" Yang asked as she held the knight piece.

Blake smirked a little; her sister's good cheer was just infectious. "Sure, sure" she answered.

They had reached the temple ruins a while ago, finding that several large chess pieces had been arranged in a semi-circle on pedestals. Seeing that Weiss or Ruby weren't there, they decide to wait for them, Yang taking the time to decide which relic they would take while Blake tried again to Sense her sisters.

"Don't worry so much" Yang placed her hand on Blake's shoulder. "They'll be perfectly fine"

Blake smiled at Yang's reassurances. "I know…it's just-"

Suddenly a loud crash came from just beyond the tree line. The girls tensed and got ready to fight as a large Ursa broke through the foliage and stomped its way towards them. Suddenly, it veered off to the side and Blake and Yang saw that someone was riding on the Grimm's back.

It was Nora, hanging onto the Ursa's back and whooping in joy as she swung a large hammer over her head. The Grimm was less thrilled and stumbled around, trying to shake her off.

Yang and Blake looked on at this scene, barely noticing Ren emerge from the treeline and set off after Nora, breathing heavily. The two adopted a thinking pose, hand under their chins as they examined Nora's riding.

Riding on a Grimm was dangerous and irresponsible to the extreme; that consequently made it look really fun to do. The two sisters shared a look and already started planning on when they could try this out for themselves.

Seemingly by accident, Nora's hammer hit the Ursa on the back of it's head, knocking it down for good.

"Awwww…I broke it" Nora lamented as she hopped off the dead bear, Ren finally catching up to her. She looked over, noticing Yang and Blake and waved at them.

Before they could response, a girlish scream filled the air as a figure suddenly flew through the air overhead. It headed straight for a tall tree that was in the middle of the large clearing in front of the ruins. The moment it impacted the tree, a bright flash of white briefly blinded everyone present and it took a second for them to see what happened.

The top portion of the tree had been blown off and was laying several feet away on the ground. The screaming figure, now silent, was laying on the ground some distance away, having apparently bounced backwards after hitting the tree.

Blake narrowed her eyes as she looked at the still figure. "That's…that's Jaune!"

Yang looked at her sister before looking across the field, straining her eyes to see what Blake could see. Yeah…that was Jaune, blonde hair and white armour. He wasn't moving at all and both hope and joy began to swell within her.

With a loud groan, Jaune started to sit up and quickly dash those hopes.

"Damn it! He's still alive." Yang growled angrily.

Blake mimicked her. "It's almost like he's a cockroach or something"

Blake's cat ears twitch as she faintly heard another sound coming from above. Her mind hadn't fully processed what it was before she started moving, tapping Yang on the shoulder. Without needing to ask, Yang followed Blake's lead, knowing that it was important.

As the sound became clearer, the two looked up and saw two falling figure, one white and another red. They both picked up their pace.

Jaune groggily stood up, his head spinning. He wasn't too sure what had happened; first there was a cave and they there was the relic that wasn't a relic and then he was flying through the air for what seemed like forever.

He didn't get much time to collect himself before Blake jumped onto his shoulders and used him as a launch pad to leap high into the air. Yang followed right behind, but used his head instead, slamming him back to the ground.

Blake drew her sword and shifted into it's kusarigama mode, throwing backwards at Yang. The blonde caught it daftly and held on tight as Blake started spinning her in mid-air. She let go right as she was lined up with the Weiss, flying through the air at high-speed that was boosted with shots from her gauntlets. Blake spun herself around and used her Semblance, shifting her body around by summoning shadow clones and aligned herself with Ruby's descent.

Weiss's screams were cut short as Yang caught her in mid-fall. She didn't fully realize what was happening but her body immediately latch on to her, knowing that she was in safe hands. They hit the ground hard, with Yang using her Aura to take the impact with her feet, creating a sizable crater beneath her.

Weiss opened her eyes and looked around, seeing that she was no longer falling. Looking up, she was greeting by her big sister's bright eyes and even brighter smile.

"Just dropping in?" Yang's light tone belayed the serious situation they just avoid. Hearing her voice and being held in her arms bridal style, Weiss's rapidly beating heart began to slow down. It might be strange that the girl who was most often described as a 'blazing fire' was so effective at calming others, but for Weiss it was just natural that Yang could do that. With her big sister around, she would always be safe.

"My hero…" Weiss's words were dripping with sarcasm; being saved from falling to death wasn't any reason to lose her composure and start gushing. Still, she did deserve some kind of rewards, so she grabbed Yang's shoulder, lifted herself up a bit and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Yang's smile widened further as she helped Weiss onto her feet. After giving her a quick once over to make sure she wasn't hurt, they two hustled over to where Blake and Ruby had landed.

As Ruby had jumped off of her own volition, she was in complete control of her fall. While she could have nailed her own landing, she had decided to let Blake catch when she saw her below. They landed softer then Yang, Blake being more practiced at falling from heights and so rolled with it, holding Ruby protectively before standing up again.

Ruby started to regret her decision to let herself be caught, as Blake immediately started fussing over her, barely letting get back on her feet. The fussing only increased when Yang and Weiss reach them.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Oh, you… insufferable little brat…why did you do something that reckless?" Anger and worry mixed together as Weiss checked Ruby over, though there was not hard bite to her words.

"I was only following you..." Ruby countered.

Before Weiss could come up with a retort that didn't make her look like a fool, Blake's ears started twitching again. The Sisters had learned to take that as a sign that something was coming their way.

"What now?' Yang groaned. She had been bored not too long ago, but this was starting to get too crazy.

The sound of snapping wood and uplifted trees was faintly audible, like something big was moving through the forest towards them. The Sisters all got their weapons out, with Nora and Ren quickly joining them.

They were surprised when it was Pyrrha who emerged from the treeline, running as fast as possible. She dived forward and slid across the ground for the last part, coming to a stop right in front of the group.

"Pyrrha! Are you okay?" Ruby asked, kneeling down to check on her.

Pyrrha didn't answer, her mind focused on something else entirely.

" _Stupid, stupid, useless Pyrrha! You vowed to protect Jaune and what happened only a short while later? You let him get attacked by a Deathstalker! How can you be destined to protect the world if you can't protect your own partner!"_ The voice in her mind was harsh and unrelenting, driving home her failure.

She looked up and saw Jaune laying on the ground a short distance away. She quickly scrambled over to him, almost knocking the others down. She reached Jaune side and saw that he wasn't moving.

She closed her eyes and mouthed a pray of her fallen comrade. She had been told, over and over, that she as meant to be a great warrior, a protector of humanity. But she had failed to help one person when they needed her the most.

With tears forming in the corners of her eyes, her rest a hand on Jaune's…still very warm body…that was moving….

Pyrrha's eyes snapped open as Jaune let out a low groan, one hand grabbing her shoulder as he tried to sit up. Her tears continued to flow, though there was joy and happiness in them now.

Unfortunately, Pyrrha's body was a bit disconnected from her mind and responded to Jaune grabbing her shoulder for support by clocking him right in the jaw with her fist. Jaune's head slammed back onto the ground, stunning him again.

The group looked on as Pyrrha apologized profusely to Jaune.

"Well…" Nora spoke up, "she's a bit quirky, isn't she?"

The only response she got was a long sigh from Ren. Before anyone could say or do anything else, a loud crash drew their attention back to the forest.

Several trees had been knocked down and a large Deathstalker was climbing over them, snapping its claw's menacingly at the group of Beacon hopefuls.

The group looked at the imposing Grimm before slowly turning their heads to look at Pyrrha. The red-head, who had turned away from Jaune at the sound of the large Grimm crashing in, met the stares of the others.

"Ummm…there's a Deathstalker chasing me…watch out" she said sheepishly, her hand rubbing the back of her head.

"Thanks for the heads up…" Yang replied in a deadpan voice before she and the other turned back, weapons at the weapon.

The Deathstalker advanced slowly, its claws and stinger posed to rip apart its human foes.

"Not today, buster!" Nora hefted her weapon and fired a trio of grenades at the Deathstalker. The projectiles hit the Grimm square on, but as the pink smoke cleared, it showed that they didn't even scratch the large scorpion.

"What?! No fair" Nora whined. When she fired her grenade launcher, her target was supposed to blow up. Any thing less was just cheating in her mind.

Ruby readied her scythe, ready to dash forward and hit the ugly bug in the face when she noted that Weiss was simply standing there, looking at Nora. More specially, she was staring at her weapon, a wicked grin slowly forming on her face as a mad gleam appeared in her eyes.

Ruby and her sisters had seen that look many times before and quickly took a big step backward.

Quick as lightning, Weiss snatched Magnhild from Nora's grasp. Before she could protest, Weiss ejected one of the grenades still in the chamber and handed the launcher back. Both Ren and Nora looked on with confusion as Weiss swiftly dismantled part of the grenade, exposing the explosive Dust-mixture. Weiss gave the Dust a quick sniff before dipping a finger into the compound and licking it off. She smacked her lips a few times, nodding appreciatively before getting to work.

Pulling on her goggles, she began pulling out various vials of Dust from the confines of her coat. Her hands moved faster then the eye could follow, pulling out and then putting back the vials as she was done. She passed the grenade between her hands multiple times and yet never upset the delicate mixture within. She pulled out a mixing tool and quickly mixed the Dust together to her satisfaction before sealing the grenade back up again.

"Here, try this" Weiss held the grenade out to Nora, a wide gleeful smile on her face.

Nora, rather timidly, took the grenade and loaded into her weapon. The Deathstalker, which had been moving forward cautiously, was almost within striking distance when Nora pointed Magnhild at it and fired.

The actual explosion was quite small, only a small puff of multi-colored smoke. What was much more impressive was the massive shockwave that hit the Deathstalker, slamming it backwards into the forest, crushing several trees under it's body.

Ren, Nora and Pyrrha looked on with mouths wide open. Weiss's sisters simply nodded; this was expected of their sister when she got that look in her eye. They were just thankful they none of them had been blown up in the process this time.

"YES!" Weiss shouted loudly. "Adding the Wind Dust to the mixture greatly increased the kinetic force of the impact by over Five-hundred and seventy percent"

"More like Five-hundred and forty-five percent, I'd say" Nora said, closing her mouth and placing her hand under her chin in a thoughtful pose. "You used a dash of Lighting Dust to act as conduit between the Wind and Burn Dust, right?"

"Yeah, plus a smidge of Gravity Dust to stabilize the whole thing."

"Could more Wind Dust be added to increase of force of the blast?"

"No. Decreasing the Burn Dust content too much will simply create a large burst of wind instead of a controlled kinetic strike. Increasing both Burn and Wind Dust too much will cause whole thing to destabilize"

"Could a two-stage process be used? Separate chambers for Wind and Burn with an intermediary section for the Lightening and Gravity?"

"It would require a complete redesign of the grenade, but that is a very interesting idea. I can come up with some plans to-"

Weiss cut herself off, going silence as she took her goggles off and slowly turned to face Nora. The pink bomber did the same and the two stared at each other for a long moment.

Weiss stuck out her hand. "I'm Weiss Xiao Long". They had already been introduced last night by Ruby, but this moment just seemed to call for a more formal introduction.

"Nora Valkyrie." Nora shook Weiss's hand, a big smile on her face.

"I think we're going to be great friends" Weiss said, matching Nora's smile

"I think so too"

Close by, a cold chill run down Ren's spine. Nora's experiments with explosive were bad enough, but now that she had friend to share in that with…

A loud, screech could be heard in the distance and as they group looked up, the shape of an approaching Nevermore could be seen.

"Looks like didn't like us hitching a ride" Ruby muttered under her breathe, before speaking up. "Let's get moving! All we need is the relic; there's no point in fighting these monsters. Ren, help Jaune to his feet."

The others followed Ruby's commands without question. Ren ran over to Jaune, hauling him to his feet and moving him forward while Pyrrha fretted nearby. Nora and Ruby ran to the ruins and quickly grabbed their relics. Nora grabbed two gold rook pieces and tossed one over to Pyrrha, who caught it effortless despite focusing entirely on Jaune's condition.

Ruby jumped onto a nearby rock and survey the others following. Yang, Blake and Weiss stopped for a moment, looking at Ruby. The emotions swelled in their chests as they saw their baby sister standing tall and strong, like a true leader. A long sigh escaped the lips of the three.

"What is it?" Ren asked as he caught up to them, struggling slightly with his load.

"…Nothing…" was their response.

The group moved as fast as possible, with Jaune recovering enough that he could run with Ren's support, though he was still mostly out of it. They came across as second set of ruins with a bridge crossing a large canyon. Before they could reach it, the Deathstalker returned, having recovered from it's explosive-induced tumble and looking for revenge. The Nevermore flew overheard, briefly blocking out the sun as it too readied to attack.

"Get Jaune across the bridge! We'll hold them off." Ruby hefted her scythe as she gave the orders, her sisters moving to stand beside her. Nora moved across the bridge with Jaune supported by Ren following with Pyrrha bringing up the rear.

Before Ruby and her sisters could cross, the Nevermore swoop down and rammed into the stone bridge, destroying it and stranding Ruby's group with the Deathstalker. The Nevermore flew back up and unleashed a barrage of razor-sharp feathers, forcing Jaune's group to seek cover in the ruins.

Ruby quickly took in the situation; two large Grimm had just separated the two groups from each other. Divide and conquer was a strategy that the Grimm were surprisingly good at utilizing. They needed to deal with these guys fast before more Grimm arrived and overwhelmed them.

'Hit it with everything you got!" The Sisters unleash a barrage of bullets at the charging Deathstalker, all of which bounced off it's thick carapace. They were forced to scatter as the beast drew close, it's stinger gouging the ground where they had previously been standing.

It quickly wheeled around and swung its claw at Ruby. She quickly raised her scythe to block it but was still pushed back some ways, stumbling to regain her footing. Weiss let out a deep growl and ran forward, leaping onto the Deathstalker's back.

"Don't you dare touch my baby sister!" she shouted as she repeatedly stabbed her blade ineffectually against its armour plating. "You damn, worthless son of a-"

Weiss was cut off as the Deathstalker used its tail to knock her off, sending her flying. Yang, Blake and Ruby cried out, but were unable to run to her aid as the Deathstalker proceeded to attack again.

Weiss landed on her back, sliding across the ground for a few feet before coming to a stop. She lay still for a moment; her Aura had taken the brunt impact and thus she was largely unhurt. If anything of hers had been damage, it was most likely her pride. She had made an amateur's mistake, rushing in and not being aware of her surroundings. When she saw Ruby in danger, she just saw red and she knew that wouldn't be helping anyone. She needed to be better then that.

Weiss took a deep breathe. "Okay…before I was just a little angry." She hit a switch in Myrtenaster's hilt before tossing the weapon high into the air. The sword began to shift its form, the grip extending while the hilt-guard widened. The blade itself widened at its base, becoming conical in shape.

Weiss flipped herself back onto her feet and caught the newly-formed lance deftly, spinning it around a few times.

"But now I'm just fucking pissed off!"

She hefted her lance like a spear and activated the Burn Dust in the hilt. The fiery substance quickly spread across the lance-head, which had begun to spin to enhance the Dust's effects. In moments, Weiss had a spinning cone of fire on her weapon and she was ready to use it.

A small black glyph appeared at the tip of the lance and, focusing, Weiss created a larger one on the Deathstalker's back. Creating a glyph on something she couldn't directly see was difficult but having been stabbing at that particular back only a couple of moments ago, she had a clear image of it in her mind.

With the connection between the Target and Anchor secure, Weiss threw the lance as hard as she could into the air. Her linked glyphs made aiming unnecessary as the lance flew through the air and hit the Deathstalker spot on. The drill dug into the armour, piecing it and injecting fire into the space between the Deathstalker's carapace and main body.

The scorpion Grimm screamed in agony as it's armour cracked under the intense heat. It managed to knock the lance away before it was fully cooked and roared in pure rage at the Sisters.

Weiss used her glyphs to have her lance return to her hand and took position close to Ruby. She had wounded the Deathstalker but had used up all the Burn Dust currently held in her weapon. Myrtenaster's Grand Lance mode greatly increased her reach and attack power but it drained her Dust reserves almost instantly. She could refill it given some time, but the half-broiled bug wasn't going to give her that or let her try something like that again.

As the Deathstalker turned to face Weiss, Yang dash forward, firing her shots as she closed the distance. Before she could get close enough to punch it, the Grimm whirled around lightening fast and sent Yang flying back with it's full weight.

Right over the canyon.

"BUMBLEBEE!" Ruby cried as she saw her sister about to sail over the chasm. Blake response instantly, throwing her pistol towards Yang, who caught it just before she started to fall downwards.

Slamming her feet down and straining her muscles, Blake pulled Yang back; swinging her around to strike the Deathstalker from the side. It managed to see the attack coming and retreated backwards several paces, causing Yang's punch to only glace off of it.

Blake began to move forward, but it was slow; she could only shuffle a bit with each rotation. Ruby saw that, despite its wounds, the Deathstalker was capable of dodging Blake and Yang's team-attack unless they could stop it in its tracks.

"Ice Flower" Ruby said, looking at Weiss while deploying her scythe. Her sister just gave her a look in return.

"Wasn't it called White Rose?"

"I changed my mind"

"Again?"

"Just do it!" Ruby rammed her scythe blade into the ground, using it as a platform to aim her rifle. With a shrug, Weiss turned her Dust cylinders to Ice and pointed the tip of her lance right beside Ruby's gun barrel.

A black glyph appeared in from her Crescent Rose, quickly turning light blue as Weiss added Ice Dust to it. A copy of the glyph appeared on the Deathstalker's flank and, with the connection secure, Ruby opened fired.

Weiss's Dust infused glyphs added more elemental power then normal Dust rounds, so when her shots followed the gravitational tunnel and hit the Deathstalker, half of it's body was frozen instantly.

Unable to move, it was an easy target for Blake and Yang's Bumblebee attack, Yang using her Semblance to strike a massive, fiery blow. The Deathstalker's carapace exploded into pieces and it was pulled along with Yang as Blake continued to swing before it was pushed off of the edge and into the canyon below.

Blake swung Yang back around before letting her go. She and the rest of them were fairly winded, but more then ready to continue the fight against the Nevermore. As the four regrouped to catch their breath and plan a way across the chasm, a huge shockwave knocked them right off their feet.

Looking across the canyon, they saw that the Nevermore had crashed into the ruined building, it's body twitching. The others had defeated the Grimm, but it wasn't clear how.

The Sisters took off, taking a running leap over the chasm, confused and worried over the fate of the others.

* * *

 _A short time earlier_

The first thing Jaune was fully aware of as complete consciousness came back to him was the terrible headache he had. It was as if someone had used his head as a trampoline. The second was the sound of gunfire, explosions and a high-pitched screeching.

Opening his eyes and looking around, he saw that he was in a mostly intact stone building. At the doorway of the building was Nora, firing into the air outside and ducking back in when she was out of ammo.

"Too bad Weiss didn't cook up a second one of those special grenades for me" she muttered loudly to her as she reloaded her weapon. She looked over and saw that Jaune was fully awake and trying to sit up.

"Hey! Glad to see you're up and at it" her greet was loud and cheerful, almost like there wasn't a ferocious fight going on outside. She walked towards Jaune and reach out a hand, smiling brightly.

With his vision still swimming a little, the image of Nora standing before him, the light from the doorway shining behind her and illumining her silhouette, took his breath away.

He took her offered hand after a few moment and got unsteady to his feet

"Ren carried you in here after that bird-brain starting shooting up the place. Asked me to watch over you while giving some covering fire. I'm pretty good when it comes to jumping up high, but I'm not so good at the whole 'ninja-style' of jumping around. Your quirky partner is out there too and is doing pretty well but nothing we throw at it is having any effect. Got any suggestions?"

Nora left go of Jaune's hand and stepped back a bit, letting him breathe. He flexed his hand a little; Nora's squeezing it had actually help bring feeling back to it. Despite how fast she talked, his clearing mind was able to take in everything she had said. He walked towards the doorway and peeked out.

The giant Nevermore was circling the main tower structure, shooting feathers and sending out powerful gusts of wind. Both Ren and Pyrrha was jumping between structures, maintaining almost a constant barrage of gunfire on it. Unfortunately, the Nevermore was keeping its distance and the shots weren't having any effect.

"If only I could hit him with my hammer" Nora said, moving up behind Jaune, "Then I could put that bad birdie down for the count."

Jaune took in everything, his mind racing. He glanced over at the cliff face, which towered nearby, and looked back at Nora.

"Nora…you said you can jump really high?" Nora nodded. "Do you think you can get to the top of the cliff?"

Nora looked out the doorway and towards said cliff. "It would take a minute, and use up most of my remaining grenades, but yeah, sure."

"Great. Head up there now. When you see the Nevermore stop flying around, hit it with everything you have."

Nora stared at him for a moment before nodding, dashing out of the building and heading towards the cliff face. Jaune took a deep, collecting himself, run out as well.

Normally, Jaune would be far more hesitant about rushing to face a giant flying monster who wanted to kill him, but all those blows to his head had dampened his inhibitions a bit. What he was mostly feeling right now was pure anger; directed squarely at the creatures of Grimm.

Jaune felt like someone had used his head as a punching bag and he wanted payback. Being that they were in a Grimm-infested forest, it seemed pretty obvious that it was those soulless creatures that were responsible for his massive headache. He was going to get even by any means necessary.

Those means involved Nora, Ren and Pyrrha. Seeing that Nora was making her way to the cliff, firing grenades to help her jump, he dashed towards the main fight.

Pyrrha saw Jaune running as she stopped to reload. "Jaune!" she cried out, alerting Ren to his appearance as well.

"Don't aim for it's body!" the blonde cried out, "Go for its wings; force him to the ground."

The two looked at him, not sure of what to do, but decided to follow his plan as the Nevermore came around for another attack; nothing they were doing was working anyway.

Ren and Pyrrha jumped to the sides while Jaune took position just below the main tower, standing completely in the open. The Nevermore saw this and unleashed a barrage of feathers at him.

Pyrrha cried out and almost turned to run back but stopped in her tracks when she saw the aftermath.

Jaune was perfectly fine; he had deployed his shield and blocked all the shots that would have hit him. He was surrounded by the Grimm's black feathers but was completely unhurt. As he lowered his shield, Pyrrha saw his blue eyes were blazing, as if challenging the Nevermore.

The large raven seemed to accept and swooped down low, intending to rip Jaune apart with its claws.

As it flew down, Ren and Pyrrha struck. Ren threw Stormflower, the two guns spinning like boomerangs in the air, and the sickle blades slash right were its left wing met the body. On the other side, Pyrrha threw her shield and followed up with several shots from her rifle. All of them hit on target, where the wing met the body on the right side.

While not seriously hurting the Nevermore, these attacks did upset its balance and cause to briefly lose control of it's descent, crashing into the middle-section of tower, right above Jaune.

The blonde boy grinned widely and prepared to get some distance before Nora made her move. He hit a snag, literally, as one of the black feathers had gone through one of his pant legs. It missed his leg, but it did pin him to the ground.

"Damn it!" he growled as he started to pull at it as best he could while still holding onto his sword and shield.

High above the battlefield, Nora pulled herself up to the top of the cliff. Using the last of her ammunition, she had managed to jump up most the cliff in a single leap, crawling up the rest of it in short order. She took a second to catch her breathe before looking down below.

The Nevermore was stuck halfway into the tower, thrashing around as it tried to free itself. It wasn't flying around anymore, so this must be the time Jaune told her to attack. She stepped up to the edge and deployed Magnhild in its hammer form.

Nora hesitated, which was very unusual for her. Jaune had told her to hit it with everything she had, but did that mean absolutely _everything_? Should she risk it? This Initiation was important, for her and Ren and Jaune and the others; she had to use all her strength to help them succeed.

Nora raised her right arm and looked at the bracelet around her wrist. An intense internal debate raged within before she decided that one, just one, would be enough.

Placing her hammer down for a moment, she used her left hand to press several small, hidden buttons along the bracelet in the specific order needed to unlock it. She winced as she slowly removed it, the two sharp spikes piercing her skin coming out completely clean and bloodless. She had to force her Aura to not heal the two holes, as she was going to put it right back on again.

Nora closed her eyes, took a deep breath and let the power flow through her.

She gasped as the energy surged within her, her knees buckling as she began to sweat. Her Semblance let her channel electricity directly to her muscles, including the electricity her body produced naturally. Officially, this let her lift over 5 times her own body weight and overall be much stronger then her small stature would indicate.

The truth was that those feats of strength were only the tip of the iceberg, a small fraction of her true power. With one of her Limiters off, the electricity she could produce, and thus the strength she could wield, increased exponentially.

Nora was panting, her face flushed red. She always believed that she was ready for this, but it always surprised her; her power and her potential. And this was only a part of it; if she took of her other bracelet and her choker, if she unleashed her full, unchecked power, she could wipe out everything down there. Nothing could hold her back, nothing could stop her if she just let-

A loud rumble of thunder in the distance snapped Nora out of it. Shaking, she turned her head and saw a large, dark cloud marring the otherwise perfect sky. The forecast predicted a completely clear day, without even a chance of thundershowers.

"…No" Nora said to herself, grabbing her hammer and turning back to look down below. The Nevermore had largely freed itself from the tower, having turned and perched in the hole it had made. It spread it's wing and was about to take off again.

"I am **not** a monster" Pink sparks leapt from her as she poured power into her arms and legs. Her heft her weapon and glared down at the Nevermore.

"I kill monsters…"

With that Nora leapt off the cliff, spinning around vertically to give her attack more momentum. It almost looked like a pink comet was shooting down from the heavens, crashing right into the Nevermore.

Nora's strike created a huge shockwave that knocked everyone nearby to the ground and caused her to bounce back up some ways. The Nevermore, who never saw it coming, was smash into the ground, taking part of the tower with it.

As the dust cleared, the applicants got back to their feet and converged around the Nevermore. Ruby and her sisters jumped the chasm and greeted the others.

"Man, that was awesome" Ruby said. "I can't believe you guys were able to just knock right out of the sky like that. By the way, where's Jaune?"

Ren, Pyrrha and Nora looked around and at each other. With everything happening so far, none of them had been able to keep track of him after the Nevermore rammed into the tower. With slow realization, they turned to look at the dead Grimm.

" _No…"_ Nora thought, the horror rising within her. " _Not again. Not again. Not again."_ She was almost of the verge of a full mental breakdown when the Nevermore started to more again.

By sheer instinct, everyone jumped back and readied their weapons. This proved unnecessary as Jaune crawled out from underneath the Grimm's head.

By sheer luck, Jaune had managed to pulled the feather out of his pants the exact moment Nora hit the Nevermore. His arms had been pulled upward by the effort of trying to free himself, resulting in both his sword and shield being above his head when the Grimm came crashing down on him. He was positioned just under its large head, so he didn't have its entire weight on top of him, so his Aura was able to save him, though the white flashes surrounding him showed that it had taken everything he had left.

"That…that was not pleasant" he wheezed as he extracted himself from under the feathery body. He looked down at his hands, seeing that he had his shield but not his sword.

"Any of you seen my sword?" he asked to the group, who were only staring at him. Before he could ask what was wrong, the Nevermore began to dissolve and a clanging sound drew Jaune's attention to towards it. His sword was on the ground now, having been lodged into the Nevermore's head and was its ultimate cause of death. Jaune simply shrugged, picking the blade up and sheathing it.

"That was…AMAZING!" Ruby shouted, "Putting yourself at risk to get into the perfect spot to land the killing blow, that just the coolest, right?" Ruby turned towards her sisters, who had their arms folded and were giving Jaune a hard glare.

What he did was reckless, dangerous and…pretty cool. They had to share Ruby's opinion on that. It pained them a bit to admit it, but it looked like Jaune did have some measure of skill and bravery, and thus deserved a spot at Beacon.

They were still going to keep a damn close eye on him; to make sure he didn't even think about trying anything with Ruby.

Ren let out a sigh of relief at seeing Jaune was okay. Pyrrha was holding back tears and would have run up and hugged him, if her aversion to physical contact hadn't gotten in the way.

Nora had no qualms about embracing people. "Oh, Jaune! You're okay!" She ran up and hugged Jaune's arm. "That was incredible! You're absolutely amazing and brave and lucky and-"

A loud snapping sound cut Nora off. Everyone looked towards the source of the noise and saw that Jaune's right arm, the one held by Nora, was now bent at unnatural angle. She let go of said arm and belatedly realized that she still had her Limiter off.

"Sorry…" she said in an uncharacteristically soft voice. Jaune didn't reply, simply looking at his now twisted arm. The shock of this and everything else had numb him to the pain, though that would wear off soon enough. When it did, it was going to hurt like hell.

* * *

Back at the exam start point, Headmaster Ozpin looked at this scene on his scroll. The two group's defeat of such large Grimm was quite a feat for such young warriors, but not entirely unexpected for these particular teenagers.

The daughters' of Taiyang Xiao Long, trained by both their father and Qrow Branwen, had proven their skills beyond any doubt. Led by Summer Rose's daughter, the four had shown an incredible level of teamwork. Letting Ruby in early had been a wise decision indeed.

There was Pyrrha Nikos, the great Champion of Mistral, whose fighting prowess wasn't exaggerated, though her social skills needed some work. Her life had been difficult in a way most people didn't understand, but he hoped that being away from Mistral and her family would help her.

Lie Ren was the survivor of the Kuroyuri's destruction by a mysterious Grimm and who lost everything he had. The boy had risen up, graduated at the top of his class and had applied to Beacon with several recommendation from his teachers. His calm and reserved personality would help balance any group he was in and keep them on task, though Ozpin suspected that the scars of his past hadn't fully healed yet. Both his medical and psych elevations told as much, and while Ozpin and the rest of the staff wouldn't bring it up. he hoped Ren could find a balance that led to acceptance and happiness.

Nora Valyrie was a very interesting case and he had been keeping tabs on her even since Professor Lionheart brought her to his attention, after she and Ren were found in the ruins of Kuroyuri. He had taken no small effort to ensure that those two were relocated to Vale as soon as possible and encouraged to apply to both a local Combat School and to Beacon itself.

The Girl Beloved by the Storm, a fairy tale older then the Four Maidens, come to life. Her powers were incredibly destructive, as her past actions showed, but if she could control them, they could be a massive boon in this conflict.

And finally, Jaune Arc, the boy with false transcript and little to no combat training. He should have failed this test outright, and yet he had managed to partner with perhaps the strongest applicant and survive attacks by the Grimm. He had rallied his group into enacting a very daring plan and pulled them through to victory. The boy had guts, a talent for planning and a good dose of luck, broken arm and multiple head wounds notwithstanding.

All-in-all, it was shaping up to be a very interesting year indeed.

* * *

 **That's it for this chapter.**

 **Support for Pollination has been pretty overwhelming in the reviews, so I'll be going with that moving forward. This leaves things a bit open with JNPR. A major part of the story that I could only show off now is that the members of JNPR do have some differences compared to canon. As JNPR is going to be a significant part of this story, I wanted to give them some unique aspects a well.**

 **Pyrrha has a lot of issue from her childhood, being forced to become an expert fighter and have her destiny about being a hero forced on her. She is still a kind and caring person but has a bad reaction to physical contact. Time will tell if she can overcome this at Beacon.**

 **Nora has quite the power boost here; she is my favorite character and even though I have another story focused on her, I still wanted her to get a lot of attention. She has quite the dark past involving her Semblance and has to wear those Limiters to prevent it going out of control. We'll be being going into more details later in the story, but it safe say it cast a dark shadow over Nora and Ren's relationship. They have a strong emotional connection, but also some serious emotional baggage to deal with.**

 **Jaune's mostly the same as canon; I have a few ideas going forward, but no radical changes as of yet. His Aura has a bit of an offensive edge to it now, sending out a blast of energy when impacted. I took inspiration from the scene where Cardin punched Jaune and hurt his hand after a white flash. It gives Jaune a bit of a surprise when he is attacked some of the time but won't make him super powerful or anything. This is not his Semblance or anything, just a unique aspect to how his own Aura works.**

 **I have a plan about how to proceed with JNPR's pairings, but like Pollination, it going to be a fairly slow burn. I will reiterate once again that JNPR will be an important part of this work, as the main group of friends and allies to RWBY. This means that some time will be dedicated to JNPR's struggles and character growth. The main focus of the whole story will be on RWBY, so don't worry about JNPR taking over or anything.**

 **I noticed while writing that I've spent a lot more time on Weiss then the other girls. This wasn't intentional, it just that writing version of her proved to be quite fun. Blake on the other hand hasn't gotten much attention, and while I dislike how much of the show focuses on her, I will endeavor to balance things out a bit.**

 **I have put a lot of thought into how no one immediately knew Weiss was a member of the Schnee family and will go into more details within the next few chapters. For the moment, in this setting, Weiss's physical traits are common enough in Atlas that she isn't immediately seen as a Schnee. In the show, there is a bit of an inconsistency over which colour glyphs do what and if Dust is being used with them. For this story, I've decided that white glyphs push objects while black glyphs pull them. Thanks to a bit of a mental block, Weiss can only use black glyphs and thus believes that, while similar, her Semblance is different from the Schnee Family. I'm also going with that Qrow only met Winter a few years before the present day and thus Weiss was fully part of the family by the time he could have reasonably begun to suspect something. How much Qrow knows and suspects will be brought up later.**

 **I only belatedly realized that after the second chapter that Weiss and Blake should probably have different weapons then in canon. Their different upbringing and having Ruby around would probably lead them to having at least something different. I decided to have Weiss's weapon transform into a lance but I couldn't think of anything really for Blake, so it's the same as canon. I'll take any ideas and suggestions over upgrades and redesigns for Blake and JNPR's weapons as the story goes on, so get creative.**

 **That's all for now. Please leave a review or PM me to leave any thought or suggestions you have and I'll see you next time.**

 **EDIT: One day up and got a bunch of people clamoring for RWBYxJNPR now. Seem when I start to go one direction, the other side speaks up. I've set up a poll on my progile, so cast a vote there. It's no guarantee on the what will happen, I just want some numbers on who's for what. I would also appreciate not only commenting on what pairing you would like, but also on the rest of the story so far, so I know if I'm doing okay on that front. Thanks again.**


	5. Chapter 5: Tearful Reflections

**Author's Note: I would like to apologize to my readers. There has been quite a debate on what the pairings should be. Several of the reviews calling for RWBYxJNPR after I said I'd do Pollination were the result of one person, who has since contacted me and apologized. I feel the reason it got to that point was because I wasn't firm enough in taking a stance and going forward with it.**

 **Sisterhood was originally planned to be a simple side project to Dark Valkyrie, the result of a random thought about how neat it would be if Team RWBY were all sisters. There was a lot I hadn't planned out when I released the first chapter and a lot still isn't fully set in stone yet. Thus, I was uncertain of what to do about pairings. I know that incest is a very contentious issue and I myself have rolled my eyes at certain anime that added in pseudo-incest for seemingly no reason, so when there was early opposition to Pollination, I decided to backpedal to a safer option. I stilled wanted to do something unique and decided that RWBYxJNPR would be interesting.**

 **That brought another backlash and people wanting Pollination, so I went back to that, only for another backlash to** **seemingly occur. While that one was mostly fake, and the poll on my profile is decisively in favor of Pollination, I feel I should have settled this issue myself sooner. The issue of the pairings has very much overshadowed the reviews for this story and I would very much like people's opinions on the other aspects of the story I'm introducing.**

 **I apologize for all this and hope all of those wishing for RWBYxJNPR will continued to read and support this story. I ask for and appreciate any thoughts, ideas and constructive critiques as this story goes on.**

 **Thank you all for giving this story of mine your time and attention, your words of praise and support really means a lot to me. Anyway, on to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

 **Chapter 5: Tearful Reflections**

The sun was beginning to set on the isle of Patch, painting the sky in brilliant portrait of red, orange and purple. An absolutely beautiful sight, if you bothered to pay it any mind.

Qrow Branwen was not paying it any attention, focusing instead on the path before him. The dirt road that led through the dense forest was one he had walked countless times, but this evening each step took a bit more effort then usual. Normally, he only had difficulty walking when he was drunk, but he was completely sober for the moment. That would be changing this evening, if the large paper bag he was carry was any indication, but for now it was a different weight pressing on him.

Eventually, he reached his destination; a large clearing at the end of the road with a wooden cottage at the centre. There was light coming from the living room window, but the place seemed emptier then it had ever been to Qrow.

Walking towards the front door, Qrow half expected it to be thrown open and have four young girls run out, excited that their Uncle Qrow was here to visit. They would practically jump on him, clinging to his arms and asking if he had missed them. They would then pull him inside to partake of whatever crazy game or activity they had been doing prior. That was how it had been for years and Qrow had honestly fooled himself into thinking that it would always be that way.

But no-one burst through the door to greet him. The large sparring field to the side of the house was empty of anyone getting in some evening exercise. No one was in the shed tinkering with the yellow motorcycle within, no one was lounging on the porch railing reading a book and there was no smoke in the air to indicate someone experimenting with new, explosive Dust mixtures.

The place almost seemed dead.

The plant boxes the lined the front the house contained much life though, a variety of flowers in red, white, purple and yellow. They were very well cared for, especially a small patch of white summer roses.

Suddenly, the whole world seemed to shift. Blinking, Qrow saw that it was now noon on a bright, sunny day and the planters were now empty of flowers. The soil within looked to be fresh and the wooden boards looked brand new.

Someone appeared around the corner of the house, a young woman wearing simple work clothes and a wide-brimmed hat. Following her was a gaggle of four young kids, smiling and laughing as they tagged along at her heels.

The woman put down the large tray of transplant flowers she had been carrying on the ledge of the planter and looked down at the girls.

"Now, are you all ready to plant your flowers?" she asked. The girls are shouted yes; They got to both plant pretty flowers and have permission to play in the dirt, so it was going to be great.

"Remember, you have to take care of these flowers. They are alive just like you are and need lots of love and attention. Be kind and gentle and they will grow up big and pretty." The four girls nodded and proceed to clamber over the planter and attack the soil with reckless abandon with their small gardening spades. They were quickly making a mess, both of the carefully tilled soil and of their clothes.

The woman sighed, smiling. She would let them have their fun before showing them how to properly plant their flowers. She noticed that one of the girls, the youngest and shortest, was having difficulty climbing up to join her sisters. The woman reached down and lifted the child up and held her close.

"Does my Little Rose need some help?" The little girl turned her head and pouted, not wanting to admit she was too little. She noticed Qrow standing there and her pout turned into a big smile, her hands starting to wave at him.

The woman turned to see what had gotten her daughter so excited and her silver eyes widened in surprise and delight.

"Girls, look! Your Uncle Qrow come to visit"

The three other girls looked over, faces and hands covered in soil, and beamed at their favorite uncle. Sure, he was their only uncle, but he was still the best at it.

There was Yang, her wild mane of hair shining in the sun, matching her bright smile. There was Blake, her cat-ears wiggling as she sat on the plant boxes' edge on all fours. That girl tended to act like a cat and Qrow wasn't sure if it was her Fanus nature or just that Blake thought it would be fun to act that way. Weiss was there too, her pale skin covered in her dirt and showing off an adorable gap-tooth smile as she had just lost a baby tooth.

Summer Rose was absolutely radiant. She clothes were simple, and she had no make-up on, but standing there, holding Ruby and surrounded by her children, she was more beautiful then ever before.

Qrow remembered that day well, how the girls had jumped on him and got dirt all over his pants. They had coerced him to help with the planting, ensuring that he got dirt everywhere. Taiyang had come out after a while and the two shared a cold beer as the girls took a lunch break. He had given Tai a good ribbing for getting the flower boxes built so fast while it was taking him so long to get started on the house extension and the new bedrooms.

Tai countered that it was completely different and that this was far easier then building new rooms, but Qrow knew the real reason. All four girls and Summer had asked for a place to grow flowers and Taiyang had jumped to fulfill their wish; they really had him wrapped around their finger. On the other hand, the girls were quite resistant about getting their own rooms, wanting to keep sharing the beds in Ruby and Yang's room like they had been for the last 2 years. Since they weren't pushing for it, Taiyang wasn't rushing to finish the extension, though he was adamant they all four girls get their own rooms eventually.

In many ways, that day had been just another day filled with fun and family. But it also captured the very essence of the Xiao Long-Rose family, of the love they shared with each other. And that image of Summer with her children, beautiful and pure, had remained with him all these years.

Just as suddenly as it appeared, the image was gone, leaving Qrow staring at the full flower bed in the waning light. He stumbled back several steps, his left hand grasping at his chest as an acute pain filled his heart.

He took several deep breathes and straightened up. If it was that bad for him, then it would be far worse for Tai. Wiping the wetness at the corner of his eyes, he hurried along and opened the front door.

It was as he expected, most of the lights were out except for in the living room. The TV was on and sitting on the couch in front of it was Taiyang. He was just sitting there, still as a board and staring at the screen. Zwei was curled up beside him and Qrow noticed that Tai was holding a dark wooden box in his lap.

Qrow took a seat next to Tai and reached into his paper box, pulling out two bottles of whisky. This wasn't bottom shelf or anything; top-grade alcohol was what he had brought. He usually never bothered with stuff like this but figured that it might help for tonight.

Qrow popped the top off one of the bottles and handed it to Tai. He took it without a word or looking at Qrow and immediately took a large swig of it. Normally, this would have resulted in Taiyang spitting out the whisky and cry out that 'it burns' in a comedic fashion. He really couldn't handle hard liquor but tonight took it without a problem.

Qrow sigh and took his own bottle, sipping it as he got comfortable. It was likely to be a long night.

On the TV, a home movie was playing. It was showing various scenes of the girls' as kids, a chronicle of their childhood. Like many parents, Taiyang and Summer had their hands always poised on the video recording button on their Scrolls, ready to record whatever their children did at a moment's notice. There were probably hundreds of hours of footage, all sorted meticulously by date, occasion and which girl was the central focus. The current video was just a highlight reel, one that Qrow suspected Taiyang had put together just recently.

On screen was the video of Weiss and Blake's first birthday with the Xiao-Long-Rose Family. They had decided on celebrate it on the day after the anniversary of the ship disaster that had them to Patch. They shared the birthday, so they were often referred to as twins despite the technicalities of their situation. Blake and Weiss embraced this notion whole-heartily, loving the idea of being twins alongside being sisters to Ruby and Yang.

The day before, on the anniversary itself, the mood in the house had been somber. Weiss and Blake just couldn't help but think back to that terrible night where they had lost everything and nothing anyone did could cheer them up.

Summer and Taiyang were feeling pretty bad about things too. They had promised to find those girls' family but after a year that hadn't much headway. The official investigation into the incident had found nothing; No ship manifest, no passenger or crew list. There was so much covered up in both Atlas and the Menagerie that the truth was impossible to find. Neither Tayang or Summer had been able to find much out on their own; they underestimated how much free time they would have for this when they had a full family to take care off. They didn't have the time or the resources to investigate things themselves and they were both reluctant to ask Ozpin for help, for a multitude of reasons.

So, they put everything into making Blake and Weiss's first birthday with them something special. It would just be the family plus Qrow, as Weiss and Blake hadn't managed to make any friends yet at school, but that didn't stop them from putting together several fun games and activities.

The image on the TV screen was Blake and Weiss blowing out the candles on their cake together. Taiyang was holding the camera while Summer got the knife to begin cutting the cake.

" _So, what did you wish for?"_ Summer asked. Watching, Qrow felt his throat tighten a bit at hearing her voice. His memory of her was one thing, hearing it again, even through an electronic recording, was something else.

Weiss and Blake looked up at her, their eyes big and bright as only a child's could be. They looked at each other, silently discussing if they should tell; after all, it might not come true if they did.

" _We…we wished that everyday could be like today. If we can't go back to our old homes, we want to stay here with Yang and Ruby…and with you…Mommy."_

Summer dropped the knife and covered her mouth with both hands, tears welling in her eyes. "Y-you…It's your birthday," She croaked out, "You don't need to give me a gift."

It took several minutes for Summer to calm down, and for the adults to assure the children that she was alright, that she was crying happy tears. Taiyang had laughed at her reaction, so heart-felt and so Summer, but he really shouldn't have. Just a little while later, Blake called him Daddy and he almost dropped his Scroll.

That had been a very special day, in more ways then one.

The screen changed, and the new image almost made Qrow burst out laughing. He had heard of this particular incident but had never seen the footage that was taken.

The scene was of Taiyang standing beneath one of tree next to the house. Wrapping all four limbs around one of the outstretched branches was Blake. The audio on the scroll, held by Summer, couldn't pick up all the words but it was clear Taiyang was trying to coax her down, only for Blake to refute him by shouting "No!" over and over in a childish manner.

The cause of all this was held in Tai's hand, a small white stick with cotton swabs on each end. A simple device meant to harmlessly clean someone ears.

Harmless to everyone except Blake apparently. While none of the girls enjoyed getting their ears cleaned, Blake was a special case. She had fours ears that needed to be cared for and while her human ears could be cleaned with minimal fuss, her cat ears were far more sensitive. Taiyang had accidentally pushed the cotton swab a tiny bit too far and Blake took off like a rocket, running out of the house on all fours and scrambling up the nearest tree.

The camera shook slightly, and Summer wonderful laughter could be heard. It was such a ridiculous and funny situation. With Taiyang right under her, there was no worry of Blake falling and hurting herself, so she was free to laugh at her Tai's predicament.

The screen flickered and was replaced by an almost identical scene, Blake in a tree and refusing to come down. The difference was that it was now Summer standing below her, holding a cotton swab and trying to talk her down. She glared at the camera, now held by Taiyang, and seemed to dare him to laugh at her.

Thankfully both incidents ended without them having to call the fire department and explain how and why their daughter was stuck in a tree. It was remarkable that she could climb up so easy and so fast, showcasing her natural dexterity. Blake refused to let either of her parents touch her ears again, no matter how much they insisted they would be more careful next time.

The two adults didn't what to do and were at a complete loss until one day when Weiss simply took a cotton swab and cleaned her twin sister's ears with no problem. When her dumbfounded parents had asked how she did it, her reply was that it was easy; Blake was her twin sister, so of course she could clean her ears with no problem.

That wasn't really an answer, as Blake didn't let either Yang or Ruby do the same; only Weiss seemed able to handle her ears carefully and gently enough. Blake even seemed to enjoy it and looked forward to having her ears cleaned now.

As parents, they had to sometimes accept that they children could solve their problems in their own unique ways.

The next video showed the living room, the same one the two men were sitting in, but it was completely different. All the furniture had been overturned and shifted around, forming a small fort with pillows and blankets. It was quite the elaborate design, with a makeshift watchtower and draw bridge.

All in all, it was a fine fort for a group of kids to play at being 'bandits'.

"Hey girls. Having fun?" Taiyang asked, stepping into the room. He was fine with the girls rearranging the room for their games, if they put it all back when they were done.

His words and entry into the room set off a flurry of activity within the fort. Four heads poked up over the sides of the fort.

"An enemy approaches the fort! Battle stations!" Ruby called out, her adorable high-pitched voice somehow convoying a commanding tone. The others rush around inside their fort and Taiyang chuckled at their antics.

His laughter was cut-off as a pillow was launched from the fort towards him. Normally it would have bounced harmlessly off his chest and Taiyang would act like he was hurt for the girls' benefit.

Instead, the soft pillow hit him like a cannonball. He doubled over, dropping the Scroll as the wind was knock out of him. The camera slid across the ground but was still able to get a visible view of Taiyang as a second projectile hit him in the face and knocked him out cold. A loud whoop came from the fort and the girls ran over to their fallen father, tying him up and dragging him back to their fort.

The girls thought their father was only playing with them. How could they have hurt him; their father was big, strong and invincible.

It wasn't Taiyang's fault, as neither he nor his Aura had been expecting a shot from a fully functional trebuchet with a proper counter-weight system. Sure, it was a miniaturized version, small enough that Taiyang hadn't seen it behind the fort, but it still packed one hell of a punch. He was lucky they had used a pillow; if it was something harder, like a book, then something probably would have been broken.

It was certainly a strange sight that Summer came home too, Taiyang out cold and all trussed up, but not the strangest in either her or Taiyang's time as a parent.

Afterwards, the two were amazed that it had been Ruby who had put the mini siege engine together, out of only discard plastic, wood and rubber bands. Her sisters had helped, Blake and Weiss reading the bigger words of the book she had discovered the picture of the trebuchet in that she couldn't fully understand while Yang had helped get the materials and put it together.

But Ruby had been the one to fully understand how the mechanism worked by just the pictures alone and probably could have built the whole thing by herself eventually. She made sure that everything was put together properly and tweaked it to get as much power out of it as possible. She had no idea how much power it had, and it fell apart after the second shot, but it was an amazing accomplishment for a young child to do and the first hint at her natural aptitude for weapons.

The next scene was outdoors, on the main street of Patch's main town. A large crowed of people lined the street, Summer and Taiyang included with their Scrolls out. In the middle of the street was a line of young children on bicycles, all set for a day of racing.

It didn't work out that way, as when the starter pistol was sounded, a sheet of ice suddenly appeared on the ground and froze the wheels of all the bikes. All except for one, which took off right away down the road. It was Weiss, on her bike ' _Stardust_ ', sailing down the road into an easy first place, smiling at what would be a simple victory.

Not that simple, as the race officials immediately disqualified her for that stunt. She had argued furiously that using Dust wasn't against the rules and it was quite amusing seeing a 10-year-old girl brow-beating grown men with their own regulations. The number of angry parents and kids carried the day and Taiyang and Summer took Weiss home after giving their apologies.

On the way back, the two inquired where Weiss had gotten the Dust. After assuring her that they weren't angry, Weiss admitted to buying a small amount of Ice Dust with her allowance. Normally, that amount wouldn't have been enough to freeze all the other racers, but Weiss had modified the Dust using ingredients and equipment around the house, strengthen and directing the freezing effect. She had learned to do it from the books she had in town's library.

Tai and Summer were shocked; they knew Weiss was smart for her age but that was high level Dust chemistry. Both had been to Beacon and yet this was beyond them. It was amazing and soon after they got Weiss her own Dust chemistry book.

That may have been a mistake, as less then a week after that a loud explosion sounded at the edge of the treeline, the first of many. At the centre of the crater was smiling, soot-covered Weiss with a mad gleam in her eyes. They may have created a monster, but they would do anything to help their daughters become the best they could be.

The next scene had all the family gathered outside. Yang was at the centre of it all, holding a small car in one hand and a remote control in other. She had asked everyone to come outside to show off what she had been working on for the last few weeks. She placed the yellow RC car on the ground and turned it on.

The little car zipped along the ground, braking, turning and accelerating at an impressive rate. Yang's sisters commented on how cool it was and her parents were fairly impressed as well. They did wonder why such a simple toy needed such a large and complex looking remote to use.

Yang quickly showed them why when she pressed a button and the car transformed into a helicopter. It zoomed through the air, over her cheering sibling and her now very impressed parents. This was beyond any toy you could buy in the stores and the mechanical knowledge needed to make it was exceptional.

Yang wasn't done and pressed another button. Wings extended from the helicopter as a rocket engine appeared and ignited. The now miniature jet flew at high-speed, circling the house and the stunned family below. The camera was moving around frantically, trying to keep up.

Yang whooped in joy at seeing her invention working; she had spent weeks working on this. Her smile faded as she realized that the jet wasn't responding as well as it should have. The jet started to fly out of control and sped right towards the gathered family. The parents acted quickly and pushed their kids to the ground as the jet sped over their head, missing them and crashing through the window before ending up embedded in the wall.

Yang's was crestfallen, dropping her controller and hanging her head, waiting for her parent to begin berating her.

She was surprised when they instead they congratulated her on her work. They weren't angry at all about the window or wall, instead completely astonished that she had made something so complex. She looked at them dumbly as her sisters surrounded her, tugging on her arms and asking her if they could help make the next one.

A big smile appeared on the little blonde dragon's face as she excitedly explained how she had done it all. This was only the first of many inventions, as Yang had discovered she had a knack for mechanical engineering. Her motorcycle, Bumblebee was her masterpiece, built from the ground up and filled to the brim with all sorts of devices and functions that made it far more then just a motorbike.

The videos and image continued on and on, chronicling the lives of Taiyang's four beloved daughters. There was Weiss's first recital, with the whole audience silent and enraptured by her beautiful voice. Blake winning a youth literary award for her short stories before getting the gold at a gymnastics tournament. There was Yang crushing it at track and field and Weiss diligently practicing ballet. There was a video of when Ruby almost burned the school down during a parent-teacher conference while showing off a make-shift flamethrower she had made. To this day he had no idea who she got a hold of all the materials from around an elementary school, but it certainly made that one very interesting discussion with her teachers.

Reel after reel shows the girls, laughing, growing and being happy. Qrow felt that Taiyang should be proud beyond anything that he had given these girls such a great childhood, better then any member of Team STRQ had.

One of the last videos was one Taiyang had taken a couple of months after Blake and Weiss arrived. He had rushed home from work that day, not liking leaving Summer all alone with four kids all day. When he opened the door, the sight he saw stop his loud greeting in its tracks and he silently took out his Scroll.

The living room was covered in toys and board games, the result of a very fun-filled day. It had been so fun, that the participants were completely exhausted. Summer was laying down on the couch, fast asleep. The girls were also sharing in this afternoon nap; Ruby was curled up on her mother's chest, resting her head in the crook of Summer's neck. Weiss and Yang were laying on her stomach, arms wrapped around each other and Blake was curled up on the armrest, right above and around Summer's head.

It was a heartwarming sight and it had brought more then one tear to Taiyang's eyes that day.

Qrow always knew that Taiyang was a strong man. He may have joked about being the better Huntsmen and ribbed her mercilessly over how he couldn't handle his liquor, but he never doubted his teammates physical and inner strength.

Taiyang proved that strength to Qrow that night by lasting most of the video, and over three-quarters of his bottle whisky, before he finally broke down and started crying.

The whisky fell to the floor, some of the amber liquid spilling out if the bottle. Taiyang bowed his head and gripped his arms tightly as his tears fell on the wooden box on his lap. Zwei sat up, whining quietly as he looked up at Tai, his small dog face filled with concern. Qrow drank the last of his whisky in one go and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Taiyang cried and cried. Those girls were his angels, the one who made this place his heaven. He had given everything for them and now they were gone, leaving him all alone. He wanted them back here, he wanted them small again, small enough that he could hold all four of them at once. He wanted to continue seeing them everyday, watching them interact and grow and being a family.

He wanted them here…where it was safe.

Taiyang kept his head down and eyes close, as he couldn't bare looking at either the image on screen or at the walls of the room. They were of course covered with individual and family pictures, alongside numerous awards, with medals and trophy lining the hallways of the house.

Taiyang's daughter were absolute geniuses in their own unique way. He knew that they were capable of doing anything they wanted, and it torn at him that they all chose the most dangerous profession on the planet. He had broken his back, working non-stop to support and encourage every one of his girls' interests and hobbies, hoping against hope they would follow a safer path.

They hadn't, so instead he had trained them as hard as he could, praying that it would be enough to keep them from the early grave that many young Huntsmen and Huntresses found themselves. That process had broken him down as well, but he done his best and their passing of Beacon's Initiation earlier today proved he had done his job well.

He just wished he didn't feel so empty and cold over it.

Music started coming from the TV and this finally made Taiyang look up. Wiping his eyes, he saw that the final video clip was playing. It showed the four girls all lined up in front of the couch, wearing a bright-array of clothes. The music was coming from a children's boombox right beside them, playing some pop song that the girls had become obsessed with.

Taiyang took several deep breathes, calming himself down somewhat.

"Something bad is coming, isn't it?" he asked Qrow, keeping his eyes on the screen. On screen the girls were trying to dance, stumbling over themselves and restarting several times.

"…Yeah…" was Qrow's answer. The last couple of missions he had been sent out on had painted a pretty bad picture of what was to come. He had another long-term deployment outside the Kingdoms coming up soon, so maybe he could finally get some useful information.

That meant that he wouldn't be around if something happened at Beacon.

Taiyang took another breathe. "I guess…we just have to believe that it will be alright." From his tone, it was clear that he didn't believe that. "I…I think I'll start taking missions again. It will keep me busy and I can start making some money… for once. I'll make sure to pay you back first."

"Tai, you don't-"

"Qrow, please…" Taiyang turned his head and the two men looked at each other for the first time that evening. They stared at one another for several moments before Qrow away with a sigh. Taiyang was a kind of person that, once his pride was wrapped up in something, he just couldn't be talked down.

Taiyang turned back to look at the TV. The girls had finally gotten things worked out and were dancing their made-up routine for their parents. It was an absolute mess, with the girls completely out of sync with each other. They still had big smiles on their faces, proving that they were having a blast being dancing idols.

The reason Taiyang had put this video for last was that, if he had asked the girls to repeat this little dance number, they would have done it flawlessly without any planning or practice. Those girls had such a strong connection now; they could move and think in perfect harmony with each other.

It reminded Taiyang, in these dark moments, that his daughters were strongest when they were together, and that being together was where they would be safest.

Taiyang patted Zwei's head, letting him know that he was okay, before placing his hands on the wooden box on his lap. He ran his hands along the smooth surface, still wet from his tears.

Inside was the last gift, the last labour of love from Summer Rose. It contained all the hopes, and all the fears, she held for her beloved daughters. It had hurt her in many ways, but she still pressed on ahead with making the box's contents.

No matter what, Summer had faith that Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang could overcome anything that stood in their way. Taiyang needed to have the same faith, to accept that his girls were all grown up now and believe that they could take care of themselves.

He prayed that he would never have to give the girls Summer's last gift, but he would be ready do if the time came. Until then, he would support his daughters with everything he had, and have faith that they would be able to handle whatever life threw at them.

Taiyang press a button on his scroll, which restarted the video on the TV from the beginning. He and leaned back in his seat and watched the video chronicle of his family again. His heart felt a little lighter now; he still feared and worried over the future, but he would try to have faith now.

It's all he could do now.

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 **That's all for this fairly short chapter. I had originally planned for this to be the opening section of the next chapter, but I figured that the next chapter will be plenty long as is, and I wanted to get something out quick.**

 **We get to see how the girls leaving for Beacon has affected their father and see some scenes of the girls growing up. We'll being see more of these past moments as the story goes on.**

 **What's in the box? That's a secret for now.**

 **As I said above in the Author's Note, I do appreciate any idea people have for this story and the characters, as there is a lot that I haven't full figured out yet. Both pairings for members of Team RWBY and Team JNPR are set now as Pollination and Juniper Berries. I would ask that the discussion for this fic move on to the other elements of the story. I appreciate immensely how passionate people are about these pairings and for this story, but I would like to know how the rest of the story is shaping up. I personally feel that I'm very bad at writing dialogue and action scenes, so I would like feedback on how those elements are turning out in this story.**

 **Once again, thanks for reading and supporting this story. Please leave a review or PM with your thoughts and opinion; everything helps to keep this story going.**


	6. Chapter 6: First Lessons

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY**

 **Chapter 6: First Lessons**

Morning came to Beacon Academy, banishing the darkness of night. It signaled the start of a new day and the time to wake up, even if you didn't want to.

With great reluctance, Weiss Xiao Long opened her eyes. She squinted at the bright light filling the room from the window and slowly sat up on her bed. She stretched both of her arms and yawned loudly. Weiss was many things, but a morning person wasn't one of them. She could, and did, get up early with the rest of her sisters for morning training, but it always took her the longest to get up and going. Yesterday had also been quite exhausting as well.

She tossed the blanket off her and sluggishly swung her legs over the side of the bed. She yawned again, her eyes half-closed as her mind lingered on the edge of full wakefulness.

Quick as lightening, her hand shot out and grabbed hold of something just out of her view beside her. Weiss turned her head to see what she had grabbed out of sheer instinct.

It was Ruby's hand. Her baby sister had silently moved right next to her and was holding something in front of her face, something that Weiss had grabbed hold of.

The white-haired girl's eyes widened before narrowing into icy slits as she saw what her sister was holding. It was a whistle, held only an inch from Ruby's lips. It was pretty clear that she had been preparing to blow that whistle right into Weiss's ear; an effective yet extremely annoying method of waking her up.

"No…" Weiss's words were a low growl, matching her icy stare.

Sweat quickly formed on Ruby's face. "Oh, Weiss! Y-your awake! That's…great. Y-yeah…now we can get started on a very important mission"

Ruby tried to back away, but Weiss kept her hand in a vice grip. They struggled briefly before Weiss let her go, causing the small girl to tumbled backwards.

"And what is so important that we need to be up at this hour? It's not even 7 o clock, is it?" A quick glance at the clock showed that Weiss was right on the money.

"Decorating!" Yang exclaimed, stepping forward with a bundle of posters in her arms. Blake stepped up beside her and Weiss noted that all three of her sisters had their uniforms on.

"We still need to unpack" Blake said, holding up one of her briefcases, which promptly opened and spilled all its contents onto the floor. "Aaaand clean…"

Ruby quickly scrambled to her feet, whistle in hand. She took a deep breathe, opening her mouth wide as she prepared to blow the whistle.

Weiss, still suffering from her morning grumpiness, was having none of that. With a quick chop, she hit Ruby's hand. The whistle was knocked out of her hand and shot right into Ruby's open mouth. The silver-eyed girl choked for a moment before spitting the whistle back out. It landed next to Blake's foot, who took a quick step back from the saliva- covered piece of metal.

Ruby gave Weiss a rueful look, but any anger she was trying to convey was lost due to her adorable pout. Weiss gave her own unapologetic smile before heading straight for the dorm's bathroom. She closed the door behind her and quickly got the shower started; it was time to fully wake up.

She threw off her nightgown and entered the shower, letting out a great sigh as the hot water ran down her body. Morning showers could be wonderful, simultaneously relaxing her and helping her wake up. Weiss could easily spend up to an hour just letting the water run down her, often to the irritation of her sisters as they waited for their turn.

Speaking of her sisters, the door to the bathroom opened and someone entered. With the curtains drawn and with all the steam, she couldn't tell one it was. She could easily use her Sense to find out, but she was still a bit too tired to use it right then and there.

The hazy figure placed something on the sink counter before quickly leaving, closing the door behind her. Weiss figured that she should hurry up; her sisters wanted to decorate and if she wasn't there to supervise, it was bound to be a disaster.

Weiss finished her shower in only ten minutes, very short for her, and quickly got about drying herself off. As she stepped out of the shower, she noticed that her Beacon uniform had been placed on the counter, neatly folded and ready for her. She gave a small smile before quickly getting dressed. She didn't bother putting her hair up, instead just exiting the bathroom.

She found her sisters still standing around, waiting for her. Ruby opened her mouth to say something, but Weiss held up a finger to halt her. The white-haired Xiao Long quickly moved to each of her sisters in turn, giving them a kiss on the cheek.

This was her way of giving thanks to them for setting her uniform out for her. Now only one of them had done it and she could have asked which one it was, but that would have resulted in her only giving one kiss. By thanking all of them, she gave out three kisses. Three was more then one, so the superiority of her approach was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Weiss took her place beside Yang and Blake and waved her hand at Ruby, signalling that she could beginning speaking.

"Aaaalright! Weiss, Blake, Yang, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission!" Ruby thrusted her hand into the air, "Banzai!"

"Banzai!" Her sisters shouted back, mimicking her pose before the four got down to work.

The dorm room became a flurry of activity. Yang got to work putting up multiple posters on the wall, the most prominent being one of the 'Achieve Men', which was currently her favorite band. Blake was quickly filling up the bookshelf with all the books she brought with her, several bags worth in fact. That included her extensive collection of 'erotic' literature, which she made sure was more discreetly place; it wouldn't do for Ruby to casual pick one of them up and start reading it.

Speaking of the Red Reaper, she was focused on the window curtains, trying to get them into just the right position. It was an odd thing to focus on but was fine so long as she didn't start cutting them up with her scythe or anything.

Weiss looked over at her little sister as she unpacked her numerous bags. She was glad that Ruby seemed to have had a good night, and that they didn't to worry so much over last night's issue.

* * *

 _Flashback_

The members of the newly minted Team RWBY opened the door to their dorm and filed in. While they were ecstatic at passing Initiation and even more that all four were on the same team, they were now dead tired. The naming ceremony had seemingly gone on forever and it was now late into the evening. All that they wanted to do was go to bed.

Thankfully, all of their luggage had been brought up to the dorm, so the four were quickly able to dig out their pajamas and get ready to sleep. Setting up and decorating the room could wait until tomorrow.

A thought came to Weiss just as she finished putting on her nightgown.

"Did anyone remember to pack Ruby's nightlight?"

Weiss's question brought a trio of blank stares, with Blake and Yang quickly realizing what it meant. They three elder sisters had packed their bags before finding out Ruby would be coming to Beacon with them, so none of them had her in mind when packing or had thought to double-check that Ruby had packed the essentials.

"Crap!" Yang exclaimed, "What to we do? I doubt Beacon has nightlights just laying around that we could borrow"

"We could use these desk lamps" Blake said, pointing at the study desk lining the walls, "but those might be too bright…"

"Guys, guys" Ruby said, stepping into the middle of the room, "you don't need to worry so much. I'm fifteen for crying out loud! I don't need a nightlight."

"You were using on in your room just a few nights ago" Blake replied, a smug look on her face.

"…Yes, well…I may _prefer_ to have a nightlight on, but it's not like I need one or anything." Ruby argument really wasn't convincing her sisters.

To see if Ruby was telling the truth, Weiss quickly walked over to the doorway and flipped the light switch off. The room was plunged almost total darkness for five whole seconds before Weiss turned the lights back on.

Blake and Yang were still standing in the same spot as before. Ruby had latched herself on Yang, wrapping her arms and legs around her big sister with her eyes shut, shaking slightly. She opened her eyes when she noticed the lights were back on and looked around at her sisters.

"…This proves absolutely nothing…"

* * *

It all worked out in the end. They turned the lights in the bathroom on and left the door open a crack, letting just enough light in to help Ruby sleep. Even if it wasn't enough, she could easily crawl into bed with one of her sisters and sleep well that way.

Weiss chuckled silently to herself at the memory and continued to unpack. Her quiet laughter was replaced by a warm smile as she retrieved an old, and very worn, plush animal from her bag.

It was that plush Grimm toy that Ruby had given her on the night they first met. It was a silly thing, a toy based on the horrifying creatures of Grimm. Sure, there were several toys and such based on the bane of humanity, Ruby had a large number of them, but a stuffed animal for little children was absurd. Weiss was certain that her parents had pulled the toy out of a bargain bin, just one of many toys for their then new-born daughter.

The Beowolf plushie is question had been ripped, battered, repaired and washed innumerable times, with much of it's colour and softness gone. Yet Ruby still loved that toy and always said it was her favorite. Weiss had tried to return it to Ruby many times during their childhood, but she steadfastly refused; she had given that toy to Weiss, so it was Weiss's to keep.

This battered, ugly toy was beautiful in Weiss's eye. It was the first gift Ruby had given her, a simple but powerful act of kindness when the world was at its darkest for her. It was the symbol and foundation of the love that she held for Ruby, her little baby sister.

Weiss put the plushie down on a stack of textbooks and got back to unpacking. There was still a lot to do until this room was up to her standards.

After a while, the girls completed their unpacking and decorating and all four stepped back to admire their work. It was spoiled somewhat by the fact that their beds were stacked in a messy pile in the centre. It hadn't been intentional, just that they had constantly pushed the bed out of their way without realizing it.

"This isn't going to work" Weiss said, miffed that she hadn't notice this mess until it was right in front of them. She stepped up next to Blake, wrapping her left arm around her twin's waist and pulling her close. Blake mimicked Weiss's movement wrapping her arm around her waist as the two pondered this predicament. This wasn't a fully conscious action on their part.

"Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff?" Yang pondered, wrapping her arm around Ruby, who laid her head on her sister's shoulder. This too was an unconscious action, something the four did all the time.

"Maybe we could put all four beds together? Or replace them with one giant bed" Blake suggested. Weiss and Yang nodded at this; having one bed would makes things easy and simplify the often complex sleeping arrangements the sisters had. They had shared a room for several years and had often put the two beds there together to make one, so they could all sleep together.

"One bed would be better then putting the four together…" Ruby said after a few moments thinking. "But getting a large bed in here could be difficult…let's keep that idea on the backburner for now. Instead, how about we turn these into bunkbeds? Just like we always wanted before Dad built the extra rooms."

The three elder sisters looked at their younger sisters before looking at each other, smiles slowly widening on their face.

"That's sounds super awesome!" Yang shouted, pumping her fist into the air.

"Plus, it will be more efficient given our current situation and resources" Blake added, looking at Weiss. Logic was the best method to get Weiss to agree to anything, yet Blake didn't need to worry; her twin was smiling widely and excitedly.

"Let's do this" was all Weiss had to say on the matter. The four girls quickly dashed forward and got to work.

A very short time later, the girls stepped back and admired their work. They had agreed that each pair of bunks would be shared by partners and, after serious negotiations and a furious round of rock-paper-scissors, had agreed who got the top bunks. Ruby's bed was suspended above Weiss by a set of ropes and had a sheet over it with one of the lamps attached to it bed's headrest, giving Ruby privacy and a nightlight that wouldn't keep the others awake. Yang's bed was set above Blake's using four stacks of books that were left over from filling the bookshelf.

It was an incredibly unstable and unsafe setup.

"Good enough for now" was the general census among the four sisters. Even the perfectionist Weiss knew when it was best to just let things be for the moment.

"Now for our mission…classes" Ruby said stepping forward with a binder in her arms. "We have our first class at 9 o clock. It's only 8:30 now, so we have plenty of time. It supposes to be Grimm Studies with a…Professor Port. Now after that…"

Ruby continued on with her explanation their day's plan. Weiss picked up a hairbrush and, walking behind Ruby, started to brush her sister's hair. Ruby didn't halt with her talking, simply letting her sister do what she was doing.

With no prompting, Blake picked up her own hairbrush and Weiss's tiara-hairpin and began doing up her twin's hair. Yang did the same for Blake, brushing and braiding her sister's long dark hair.

This hair brushing train proceeded for several minutes as the girls did each others hair while discussing today's classes and what they expected. When they were all done, Weiss handed her brush forward to Ruby before grabbing the one Blake held out for her. Blake in turn took Yang's brush while the blonde girl walked over to one of the chairs.

Sitting down, Yang got comfortable as her three sisters slowly, and very gently, started brushing her hair. Yang's hair was special and thus needed very special care. Not just anyone could touch it; only those she trusted beyond anything could hope to brush her locks without getting burned. That effectively limited it to just her family and even then, they had to be careful not to pull or tug on her hair. The only hope of getting it done in a reasonable amount of time was if all three of Yang's sisters worked on it at once.

Yang sighed in contentment as she received the equivalent of a hair massage. It felt wonderful and was so relaxing that Yang almost felt herself falling back to sleep again.

A loud rumble from her stomach brought her back to the present, reminding her that she hadn't had breakfast yet. This set off a chain-reaction as her sisters' stomachs chimed in, letting them know that they too were hungry.

The girls shared a laugh as they finished with Yang's hair.

"Come one; let's go grab some grub. We got almost half an hour before class starts" Yang said as she got up.

"Yup, more then enough time to get a full meal in." Ruby commented as she gathered up her school supplies.

"But we must make sure when get to class on time." Weiss added, "It would be horrible to be late on the first day of class"

"Yeah" Blake said, opening the door to the hallway, "But who would be dumb enough to do that?"

* * *

The door to Professor Port's classroom burst open just as the 9-o clock bell sounded and Team JNPR almost tumbled in.

"Ah, good for you to show up" Professor Port said, eyeing the almost late students, "Please take a seat and we can begin.

Team JNPR shuffled on in, Jaune, Pyrrha and Ren all muttering apologies before quickly taking the empty seats next to Team RWBY.

"Now we may begin!" Port boomed, his voice easily reaching the very back of the large classroom. "Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!"

Professor Port lecture quickly devolved into a boisterous personal tale and so many students found their attention wandering. Ruby looked over at Jaune, whose right arm was in a cast and sling.

"Hey" she whispered, "are you doing okay?"

Jaune looked over at her, confused for a moment before realizing what she meant.

"Oh, yeah sure. Doesn't hurt at all now. School nurse said it would only take a week or so for it to heal up."

"That's good" Ruby said. Her eyes drifted toward the pencil held awkwardly in his left hand. "Are you going to be able to take notes?"

"I should be able to…maybe…you don't think anything important will be taught in only the first week, right?" Jaune didn't sound too sure of himself.

"Maybe, though I doubt anything useful will be discussed today." She tilted her head toward Port, who was still going on about some adventure from his youth. "If you want, you can borrow my notes."

Jaune smiled at her kind offer and opened his mouth to reply.

"Actually, you can use my notes!" Pyrrha interrupted. Both Jaune and Ruby looked over at the red-haired girl, who shrank back slightly. "I mean, we're partners so…it would be easier and more convenient for me to help you. But if you want to help, that's fine too" she quickly added.

Just beyond Pyrrha, Ruby saw that Nora was leaning towards them slightly, her mouth opens as if to say something. She closed her mouth and turned back to looking forward, causing Ruby to raise an eyebrow. Nora wasn't the kind of person to back down and leave something unsaid from what she had seen of her.

"That could work…" Jaune mused for a moment, "Or maybe we could all get together at the end of the week and go over everything. Like a study group with both teams. That sound good?"

Ruby nodded enthusiastically. "That sound great! We can all help each other and discuss any plans for the weekend afterwards"

"That…sounds lovely" Pyrrha said after a moment.

It really was; a way for all eight of them to help each other while spending time together. Pyrrha was overjoyed that, even after having her full name announced at the ceremony after Initiation, neither her team nor RWBY were acknowledging her fame or treating her different. Most likely none of them had made the connection yet and Pyrrha was happy to let them remain ignorant. For the first time in forever, she had a chance to make real friends and she wanted to spend as much time together with all of them as possible.

But she felt that she owed Jaune a serious debt. She had failed him in the Emerald Forest, failed to protect him as she should have, as both a protector of humanity and as his partner. He had suffered multiple injuries because she hadn't been doing her job. She even convinced herself that his broken arm was really her fault, that she should have prevent that situation somehow.

She wanted to, needed to, make it up to Jaune. Helping him take notes seemed like a perfect way to do that. While a study group would be better overall, she wouldn't be the only one helping Jaune. She needed something that she, and only she, could do for him in recompense. Maybe she could help him train?

Pyrrha shelved this for the moment as Jaune asked her to pass on this info to Nora and Ren, while Ruby did the same with her sisters. The response was universally positive and Jaune and Ruby agreed to talk more about it after class.

Ruby's sisters were okay with it because it was a good way to keep an eye of Jaune; easier to ensure that he didn't fall back into his perverted ways. Plus, Weiss wanted to spend time with Nora; she already had several new ideas that she wanted to run by her first.

The students returned to Professor Port's lecture, which continued to go on and on about inconsequently nonsense. Ruby wasn't the only person who found their eyes beginning to droop.

She was the only one with an attentive sister sitting next to her and Weiss's elbow to her side woke her up with a start.

"Come on Ruby, you have to pay attention" Weiss lightly chided.

"But it's sooooo boring!" Ruby countered, "He isn't saying anything related to fighting Grimm"

"Still, we are students of Beacon and we must not show poor behavior. We represent not only ourselves, but our team and family name. We must always be at our best".

As Weiss was quietly lecturing Ruby, Blake's left hand started slowly reaching out, snaking along the shared desk toward her twin's unattended pen. Without looking, Weiss lightly smacked her sister's hand, stopping her attempted theft.

Blake looked around startled, before realizing what had happened. She hadn't been fully conscious of the action and so looked away sheepishly. Weiss's words on being on one's best behavior could very well be directed at her and she didn't want another lecture about how she needed to keep her 'thieving' hands from wandering.

Yang noted this exchange and chuckled softly. She could always trust her sisters to provide her with entertainment. There certainly wasn't much of that coming from the teacher. Yang turned back the piece of paper set in front of her, which was filled with various doodles rather then serious notes.

She was preparing to add to this collection of artistic drawings when she realized that she wasn't holding her pencil anymore. It had been there just a few moments ago, so where could it have…

A soft tap on Blake's shoulder, coupled with a hard look, was enough to get the cat-girl to meekly pull the pencil in question out of her uniform jacket, muttering that she was only keeping it safe.

Yang took her pencil back without any recriminations and got back to her doodling. Blake never meant anything bad or mean when she took things from her sisters; she just couldn't help it sometimes. Getting mad wouldn't do any good, so Yang let it slide for now.

Class continued and Professor Port's story about his youthful adventures went on and on. Ruby felt herself beginning to nod off again and, not wanting another elbow to the ribs from Weiss, she decided to do something to keep her mind occupied. Seeing what Yang was doing, Ruby decided to do some doodling of her own.

Her pencil scribbled across her paper, her tongue sticking out as she concentrated. After several minutes, she put her pencil down and looked over her artistic labour. She tugged on Weiss's sleeve and held up her masterpiece for her to see.

Weiss looked at the paper Ruby was holding, and the picture drawn on it. It was a very simple figure of Professor Port, consisting mostly of a single large circle with stick arms and legs. The head was fairly detailed with a bushy beard and eyebrows, along with details of his coat. Under the drawing was the words "Professor Poop", with smell lines raising from the figure.

Weiss looked at the drawing for a long moment.

"Pfffttt!" was the sound that escaped her lips as she desperately tried to not laugh out loud. While she was the mature, elegant and graceful one, she still shared many things in common with her sisters, including her sense of humor.

"Miss Xiao Long!" The booming voice of Port brought the attentions of all the students to the front of the classroom.

"YES?!" Weiss, Yang and Blake called out in perfect unison. Professor Port faltered a bit at the triple response, coughing into his hand before speaking again.

"Weiss….do you believe you are the embodiment of a true Huntress? Are you honorable, dependable and courageous in the face of the forces of darkness?" Port waved his hand at the end in a dramatic flourish.

"Yes sir, I do!" Weiss proclaimed, standing up from her seat. The short pause caused by the three Xiao Long Sisters responding at once had given her time to compose herself. It was a defensive mechanism that the three had employed many times over the years, saving one of them from being admonished by a teacher for not paying attention.

"HO-HO! That's the spirit!" Port boomed, liking her answer. "If you truly believe that, perhaps you could demonstrate for all of us here. Please, retrieve your weapon from the locker room and meet up with the rest of class at the Grimm Combat Arena. There we will see if you can back up your claim."

Port clapped his hands together. The students eagerly packed up their things and followed him out of the classroom; seeing a fight against Grimm was a million times better then listening to Port's rambling.

Weiss quickly packed her school bags and handed it to Blake. With a few words of encouragements from her sisters, Weiss set out from the classroom on her own, heading towards the weapon lockers. She was unable to suppress a smirk as she cracked her knuckles together: it was time to show her classmate what a Xiao Long was made out of.

* * *

The Grimm Combat Arena was the main venue for controlled training against Grimm. It was different from the area used in the Combat Training class, which was effectively just a stage at the front of the room. This arena was box-shaped area set into the ground, with a railing set along the upper edge where the onlooking students stood along.

The Arena was set over twenty feet down, but that would have normally proved little obstacle for any Grimm in getting out and attacking the spectators. Thankfully, the energy shield enclosing the top Arena kept the Grimm trapped inside, making them instead focus on their human opponent. The shields could be dropped at a moments notice, and the hidden gun turrets in the ceiling activated to rip apart any Grimm with pinpoint accuracy before it seriously harmed a student.

As this was the first time this group of students had been here, they were all gawking at the room and all the high-tech equipment.

"Settle down Class, settle down." Port walked up to the end of room, the one that had a large screen taking up most of the wall. "You will all be getting very well acquainted with this room and all it has to offer soon enough. Please direct your attention down to the arena; the fight will begin in a moment."

As Port said this, a hidden door in the wall of enclosed arena opened and Weiss stepped out. She was in her combat clothes and had her weapon ready. Looking up, she saw her three sisters waving down at her from the railing.

"Kick some butt Weiss!" Yang shouted.

"Do your best!" Blake added, waving a little flag with 'RWBY' written. Weiss quirked an eyebrow at this but decided to let it go. She had long ago given up on questioning where her twin got every little strange thing she possessed.

Weiss attention was brought back to the arena as a trapdoor opened at the opposite end and a large cage was lifted up. The rattling and banging sounds coming from within proved that it contained a live Grimm.

"Weiss… are you ready?"

At the girl's determined nod, the professor hit a button on his Scroll and the cage collapsed, releasing the beast within.

Everyone could now see that it was a Boarbatusk. They were among the smallest species of Grimm, but only a fool would underestimate them. That compact frame contained a lot of muscles, all of it currently directed at a white-haired girl.

Weiss gave a smirk; this was her big test to prove she had what it took to be a Huntress? She could take this pig out in a heartbeat. That wouldn't be much of a showcase of her skills, so maybe it would be good to be a bit flashier.

Weiss hit the button on her sword hilt, transforming Myrtenaster into it's Grand Lance Mode. She heard cheers and shouts from above, including what she thought was Ruby. Probably just cheering her on or something. Nothing to worry about.

Weiss twirled her lance around a few times before getting ready to meet Grimm, which was charging right at her. Gripping the lance with both hands, she thrust the point directly at the Boarbatusk's eyes right as it entered her range.

With only a slight movement, the Boarbatusk deflected the thrust, causing the blade to scrape across its armoured forehead instead. Weiss was caught by surprise by this but was able to act quickly, twisting her body out of the way of the charging Grimm's tusks.

Weiss turned around, preparing another attack. She was again surprised to see that, instead of continuing its charge until it hit the wall, the Boarbatusk had managed to stop and turn almost on a dime. It was facing her head again, showing only it's armoured front.

The boar Grimm lunged forward, trying to gore Weiss with its tusks. Weiss leapt back, trying to get some distance to properly use her lance, but the Boarbatusk was able to stay just within her guard. Weiss was shocked they the tenacity of this Grimm and realized that she shouldn't have switched to her lance right off the bat.

With a wide sweep of its tusks, the Boarbatusk managed to knock Weiss's weapon from her hands. A second sweep knocked the girl off her feet. She quickly scrambled back up, just in time for the Grimm to ram right into her.

Surprised gasps came from the assembled students, but the Boarbatusk was probably the most surprised of all. One would easily assume that the short, delicate-looking girl would be blown over easily by the boar Grimm, not holding it back with her bare hands.

Weiss gritted her teeth as she gripped the Grimm's tusks, using every last bit of strength she had to prevent it from goring her. Even people who knew her often forgot that she went through the same training as Yang, and while she didn't have the monstrous strength of the blonde brawler, she had far more power then her small frame would suggest.

With a primal cry, Weiss tossed the Boarbatusk away, throwing it into the wall. She quickly got some distance and used her Semblance to retrieve her weapon. She was breathing heavily, her mind racing. She needed a way to end this fight quickly, before she was worn out too much.

There were more shouts coming from the sidelines. It was all just white noise to Weiss, completely worthless and annoying…

"Yeah, Weiss! Go for it's belly!" The voice of Blake cut throw it all, jolting Weiss mind into remember all the information about various Grimm weaknesses that she had rigorously studied over the years. She had been so focused on showing off her fighting prowess that she completely forgot that her greatest strength was her mind.

It was a good thing she had a wonderful twin sister to keep her grounded.

Weiss pointed the end of her lance at the ground in front of her, creating a large glyph and pouring Wind Dust into it. She took a step back from the now pale white glyph just as the Boarbatusk got back to its feet. She took a relaxed postured, even waving her hand at the Grimm to come and get her.

The Boarbatusk obliged and charged right at her, focused on nothing else but tearing her apart. Unfortunately, that meant it didn't notice the glyph until it was too late.

Weiss had turned her glyph into a contact mine, so the moment the Boarbatusk charged over it, it exploded with massive gust of wind. It was all directed upwards, so the boar was sent flying into the air.

Its ascent was cut short when it the energy shield, creating a brief flash of blue in the air before it started falling back to the ground. Weiss simply held her lance out in front of her, tip up, and watched with an impassive face as the Boarbatusk was implanted on Myrtenaster. The lance tip ripped through the unarmoured belly of the Grimm and it only struggled for a moment before dying.

With absolute casualness, Weiss tossed the dead Grimm away. It hit the floor with a thud and began to slowly dissolve.

"And Weiss Xiao Long is victorious!" Professor Port's voice boomed loud even without the loud speakers on. "That certainly was a spectacular finish, worthy of the Huntress name"

Port paused for a moment. "That will be all for today class. We will discuss future matches in this arena tomorrow, along with finishing my story of my gallant youth!"

The last part was greeted by a few groans which Port promptly ignored. He hit another button on his Scroll to open the door to the arena before taking his leave.

A minute later, Weiss exited the fighting pit and was back on the main floor. Immediately, she was surrounded by her sisters, who congratulated her while also checking her over for any injuries.

"Geez, you cut it a little close there, didn't you?" Yang remarked after making sure Weiss was okay.

"Yeah well, I wanted to put on a bit of a show. Not my smartest decision ever." Weiss turned and looked at Blake. "Thanks for the advice out there. I wouldn't have remembered where to stick that pig if it wasn't for you".

Instead of a smile and 'No problem sis' that she expected, Blake adopted a look of confusion; one that was adopted by both Ruby and Yang.

"…What?" Weiss asked. The only response she was got as her sisters folded their arms and turning away; Ruby especially looked like she was in a huff.

"What?!" she asked again, desperate to know what she had done wrong.

"You better get changed and cleaned up; we have our next class pretty soon" Yang said dismissively. In unison, Weiss's sisters turned on their heels and walked away, leaving Weiss grasping.

Weiss barely suppressed a loud groan as she angrily power-walked to the weapon lockers. She loved those three girls will every atom of her body, but they could also frustrate her to no end sometimes.

They were being so immature, not telling what mistake she had made. If she didn't know what she had done to offend, then how could she immediately start making it up? It was just a waste of time and energy.

No matter, she would find out what the problem was by the end of the day and come up with an appropriate way to make it up to Blake. Maybe buy her a couple cans of tuna?

* * *

Morning classes ended as lunchtime rolled around and the general mass of the student body headed towards the cafeteria.

"FINALLY!" Nora exclaimed loudly. "I am starving! Do you think they'll serve pancakes for lunch?"

"If you're lucky, they might" Jaune said, walking alongside with the rest of his and Ruby's team. The eight of them had just finished their last morning class and were making their way to the cafeteria. Because of their lateness, none of JNPR had been able to get any breakfast, so they were feeling the pinch as badly as Nora.

"If they served them for breakfast, they may have some leftover" Pyrrha added. The red-head felt especially bad about sleeping in, seeing it as her fault that her team missed the most important meal of the day.

"Yeah…what do they serve for breakfast around here? It any good?" Nora directed this question at RWBY, as they had been able to get breakfast that morning.

"Oh yeah, the food they served was great." Yang replied.

"It was quite a large and diverse lineup they offered. A tasty and healthy selection to be sure" Weiss added.

"They got nothing on Dad's cooking though" Ruby said quietly.

"True, but it was still plenty good. We tried everything on the menu" Blake finished.

JNPR nodded at all this; they were slowly getting used to the fact that the Sisters often added to and finished each other's sentences and thoughts.

Hold on…they tried _everything_ on the menu? If their selection was as large as Weiss said it was, that would be a huge amount of food, several plates worth at least.

The four members of JNPR looked over at their very trim and fit companions. No way…they probably meant that each of them sampled several different dishes and so they effectively tried the whole menu. Or something like that…

The thought was pushed aside as the group entered the cafeteria, which was already filled with students all vying for food and places to eat. The group plowed on through, with Nora and Yang doing their fair share of shoving. The two teams separated to get their own food, with JNPR filling their plates and finding a table first.

Nora was ecstatic that they were indeed serving pancakes for lunch today and had piled her plate high with them. She was just able to dig in when she noticed that Jaune, who was sitting across from her, was having trouble holding his fork with his left hand.

This tampered Nora's spirits and she put her own utensils down. The only reason he had to deal with a broken arm was because of her. This was all her fault and she needed to make it up to him. However, whenever she tried to apologize, Jaune immediately stopped her and told her it was fine, that it wasn't her fault.

He was being a hundred percent genuine when he said that, and it show just how good of a person he was. It also made Nora feel even worse, knowing that she seriously hurt such a nice guy. She had to find a way to make it up to him, no matter what.

She had entertained the idea of helping him take notes, but the whole study group idea torpedoed that notion. It was certainly for the best; Nora knew her strengths and academic assistance was not one of them. She needed to do something that only she could do, give something only she could give him. Maybe help him train a bit; he was a bit on the scrawny side.

Nora's gazed lowered to the stack of pancakes before her. With the melting butter and near liter of syrup cover it, the stack was sparkling in the light, absolutely perfect and beautiful.

Nora repressed a loud sigh. The best way to atone for a mistake was the sacrifice something important to you and there were few things in this world that Nora loved more then pancakes. But if giving Jaune her pancakes was the first step in making up for her harmful blunder, then it was a price she was willing to pay.

Setting her knife and fork neatly on the table, Nora took a deep breath and pushed her plate towards Jaune.

The plate of perfect pancakes didn't move a single inch.

Nora was surprised and tried again, with the same result. It was if all her strength abandoned her and the plate was suddenly made of lead. What was going on? All she was accomplishing was to make her stomach rumble painfully, reminding that this stack of pancakes was originally meant to fill her empty belly.

Nora thought for a moment before taking up her utensils again and taking a small piece of a pancakes for herself. It was just a small piece, just something to give herself some energy before she tried pushing the plate again. This time, she succeeded in moving it half a centimeter. She quickly took another bite of pancakes; this could take awhile.

Neither Jaune nor Pyrrha noticed what Nora was doing, being preoccupied with their own meals. Ren, who was sitting beside Nora, did notice what she was doing, but decided not to ask. Sometimes it was just better to let Nora do whatever she wanted to do and not interfere.

"Hey guys! Thanks for saving us a seat" The approaching voice of Ruby alerted JNPR that their friends had finally gotten their food. They had sure taken their time.

"Hey, it was…no…problem…" Jaune's voice trailed off as he and his team fully saw Ruby and her sisters. Jaune, Pyrrha and Ren all shared the same stupefied expression on their face; Nora simply raised an eyebrow.

The cause of this was the plates that each member of RWBY was holding. Each one had a mountain of food piled on it, more then enough to feed several people. The Sisters were carrying them like it was nothing, putting the plates down on the table and taking the seats beside JNPR. They took a brief moment to get settled in before they dug into their meals with a gusto.

JNPR was captivated the scene before them, entranced by the sight of four girls packing away so much food at once with no problem. Even Ren, who was used to dealing with Nora's enormous appetite, was stunned at the gluttonous display. Nora for her part simply nodded, appreciating that there were others who understood the joys of stuffing their face with good food. The pink bomber took another bite of pancakes and got back to pushing the plate.

It was certainly a sight to behold, watching the Xiao Long Sisters eat, and they drew a fair number of stares. Each of the girls ate their food is a different manner; Ruby was shoveling the food in so fast it was all a blur. Yang was slower, but put much more food in each time, stuffing her face as much as possible without wasting a single crumb. Blake ate with only one hand, the other holding a book to the side that she was reading. Eating while reading wasn't the most unusual thing ever but filling your face rapidly while not taking your eyes off the page or getting even a speck of food on the paper, was a little eye raising.

Weiss was perhaps the most interesting case. Neither JNPR nor anyone else present had even seen someone stuff their face in such a neat and refined manner. She did exactly two clockwise rotation of her plate and one counter-clockwise before pausing briefly to dab her mouth with a napkin before starting all over. While she was definitely taking her time compared to her sisters, it was remarkable that she wasn't that far behind in polishing off her plate.

In only a few minutes, the four mountains of food were gone, consumed by the ravenous maws of Team RWBY. The girls leaned back and let out a content sigh of satisfaction.

"That was pretty good. Beacon sure know how to cook them" Yang commented.

"Still got nothing on Dad's cooking" Blake added, turning the page of her book. Her sisters nodded in agreement; nothing in the world could beat their father's cooking.

In unison, the four sisters got up, grabbed their empty plates and headed back towards the food line-up.

"W-where are you going" Jaune asked, still stunned by what he had just witnessed.

The Sisters of Team RWBY turned around and looked at him like he had just asked the dumbest, most obvious question in the world.

"Seconds, of course" was their shared response.

"The lunch menu's bigger then their breakfast one, so we couldn't fit everything onto one plate." Blake added nonchalantly, confirming to JNPR that each of them had indeed consumed the entire breakfast menu that morning.

Jaune watched dumbfounded as the Sisters walked away to get more food. There wasn't an ounce of excess fat of those girls, so where did they put it all?

The blonde boy was brought back to the table as he heard a clinking sound. Turning back and looking down, he saw that Nora had pushed her plate across the table, bumping into his own, still mostly filled plate.

Looking at her, Jaune saw that Nora was sweating and panting quite heavily, like she had finished a workout or something.

"Everything okay Nora?" he asked, "Do you need me to take your plate away or something?"

Nora looked up, confusion on her face. She thought for a moment that maybe Jaune didn't like pancakes, or something insane like that, until she looked down at the plate she had pushed across the table; the empty plate. All those 'little' bits to give her energy had resulted in her eating the whole thing.

Nora let out a cry before slamming her forehead onto the table. Even when she was trying to make things up, she just messed it all up. It really did seem that she ruined everything she touched; she really was just a monster that could only hurt people…

Ren saw what was going on and decided to speak up.

"I think…" Ren coughed lightly into his hand before continuing, "I think Nora was trying to give you some of her pancakes. They're her favorite and giving them to you was her way of saying sorry about your arm."

A small but fond smile appeared on Ren's face. "But I guess she was a little too hungry for that plan to work out."

Jaune looked back from Ren to Nora, a surprised and startled expression on his face.

"W-What? Nora! You didn't need to do anything like that. I know you didn't mean to hurt me and my arm's going to be just fine, so don't stress out about this, okay?"

The others of JNPR were a little shocked at the concern in Jaune's voice; he really didn't want Nora and any to be put out by his condition. One would expect a little resentment over what had happened, his arm had been broken after all, but Jaune didn't have even a shred of ill-will towards her.

Deciding that words may not be enough, Jaune decided to do something that always calmed his younger sisters down. Reaching across the table with his left hand, he gently patted the top of Nora's head.

Pyrrha blush and looked away, a little uncomfortable at this display and ashamed that she felt that way. If one was looking closely at Ren, they may have noticed a slight narrowing of the eyes.

For Nora, she was glad that her face was down on the table, as it hid her small blush.

" _This…is kind of nice."_ She thought. " _Ren's…never really done something like this before. I…think I like this."_

It seemed that Team RWBY wouldn't be the only team to have a unique dynamic this year.

* * *

Afternoon classes came and went, followed by another rush to the cafeteria for dinner before things finally began to unwind during the evening. Most of the students headed back to their dorms, glad to finally relax after getting through their first day of school.

Weiss was taking a walk outside by herself. The beautiful red sunset was lost to her as she was instead deep in her own thoughts. Despite her best efforts, she still hadn't figured what she had said or done wrong; all she did was thank Blake for her advice during the fight and now all three of her sisters were being huffy with her.

Anyone outside of their family probably wouldn't notice anything different in how the Sisters were acting; they still appeared very close and affectionate to one another. Only something major could cause one of the Sisters to be completely shut-out by the others, so Weiss knew she hadn't screwed up royally at least.

Still, it was frustrating her to no end that they weren't telling what her mistake was. No matter how much she subtlety and not-so-subtlety asked Blake how she had offended her, she was constantly stonewalled.

Yang was no help either, simply telling her that she needed to apologize. She had apologized directly to Blake, but that hadn't changed anything. She probably should start on Ruby next; see if she could pry anything out of her little sister. She was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another.

Weiss found herself back at the front entrance and noticed that Professor Port was there, looking at the sunset with his back to her. Weiss was about to leave, not wanting to disturb the teacher, when the older man turned around.

"Why, good evening Miss Xiao Long." He greeted her. "Out for a stroll, are we?"

"I…yes…I just needed so fresh air before heading back to the dorm." Weiss answered.

"Indeed? Is there something troubling you? My dear girl, confess your strife to me!"

Weiss down at the ground. "It's…nothing really. Just a simple family matter, is all"

Port quirked a bushy eyebrow as he walked up Weiss. "Normally such a thing would be a private matter, yes. But your family is also your Team here at Beacon, which does make it a concern for the School."

Weiss nodded; that was a valid point. "It's…nothing too serious. I think I said something to Blake after class that upset her. Yang and Ruby have taken her side and are giving me the cold-shoulder. They won't tell me what I said or did, so I don't know what I can do to apologize for it"

Letting out a loud sigh, Weiss rubbed her eyes. "It just a little aggravating for me, that's all. These little spats never last long between us, but I would think that we would have grown beyond this by now. We're at Beacon for crying out loud! Now is not the time to be acting all childish and immature."

"That is quite a predicament" Port mused, "It seems that you want to wish to make your sisters see reason, to go along with your line of thinking."

Weiss barked a weak laugh. "Yeah…that would be nice. Thing might go a bit smoother if they had to do what I told them."

"Do you think Ozpin made a mistake then?" Port asked, adopting a serious tone, "Do you believe you should have been made leader of Team RWBY and not Miss Rose?"

Weiss looked up with a start, completely thrown off by the question.

"W-w-what? N-No! Of course not. I trust Ruby completely: I love her! Sure, if I had been picked, I would do my absolute best and I know I would do well, but Ruby is the best one for the position."

Weiss looked at Port with a confused look. "Why are you talking about Ruby? This situation is about me and Blake. Ruby's a part of this, sure, but not that focus of this problem"

Port simply tilted his head slightly. "Weiss, I ended the class immediately after your victory. Normally, we would spend a few minutes as a class to go over the match, to examine what you did well and what may need work."

Weiss nodded; that was what they did back at Signal. She had briefly wondered why he didn't do it this time but had smugly assume it was because she had done so well. On reflection, that probably wasn't the case.

Port pulled out his Scroll. "I decided that a private lesson would be better in this case. There are multiple cameras in that Grimm Combat Arena that allows us to view the battle from every angle; including ones that focus on the audience."

Weiss was very confused by the direction this conversation was taking but said nothing as Port stepped forward and expanded his Scroll's screen. He held it up to Weiss just as a video began to play.

It was a recording of her fight with the Boarbatusk, but this particular angle shown focused mostly on the upper section of the arena, with the audience fully visible. Weiss could see her sisters stepping up to the railing and start cheering when she entered the arena.

" _Kick some butt Weiss!"_ Yang's shout was crystal clear on the video, proving that camera's had high-quality microphones as well.

" _Do your best!"_ Blake called out, waving the little flag that Weiss still had not idea where she got it from. Hearing and seeing the support her sisters were giving again her warmed her heart, but she didn't understand what point Professor Port was trying to make. The cage was raised into the Arena and the fight was about to begin.

" _No Weiss!"_ Ruby cried out, " _You don't have enough room down there for your Lance! Just stick with your rapier and wait for an opening"_

Weiss was taken back by this; she could remember Yang and Blake cheering her on, but she didn't remember Ruby giving any battle advice. It was good advice too; she couldn't block effectively with her Lance and she realized only after things had gone south she should have stuck with her sword and not be focused on showing off.

But why hadn't she heard Ruby back there?

The fight continued, but the camera stayed focus on Ruby, who continued to call out ringside advice and tactics. Weiss was flabbergasted that she couldn't remember any of this; the fight would have gone much better if she had done what Ruby had tried to tell her to do.

" _WEISS! The underside of the Boarbatusk is unarmoured"_ Ruby called out near the end of the fight.

" _Yeah, Weiss! Go for it's belly!"_ Blake repeated.

This threw Weiss completely off. It hadn't been Blake that had help her remember the Boarbatusk's weak point and win the fight, it had been Ruby. But she had only heard Blake repeating Ruby's words, not Ruby herself. It hadn't been so loud and chaotic that she couldn't hear the audience properly, so what was going on?

"The problem, I believe" Port said, lowering the Scroll. "has less to do with your sisters being immature, and more with you"

The older Huntsman stepped up to Weiss and seemed to loom over her. "Miss Rose is your leader, and despite any and all personal feelings and dynamics, you are to obey her orders in a combat situation without hesitation."

Weiss nodded; that was how the how 'team leader' position worked, but what did that-

"But you seemed to think Ruby's words were merely suggestions to be ignored." Port continued, looking Weiss dead in the eye. "If her advice was suspect, that would be grounds to disregard them, but Miss Rose only provided sound tactics today. From my perspective, your leader's words went in one of your ears, and out the other.

Weiss's face flushed with anger. "How dare you! You don't know me, or my family! I would never ignore Ruby in such an important matter. I love her!"

"Oh yes, I have no doubt of the depths of you love for your sister" Port took a step back from Weiss. "But the evidence here shows that you don't respect her as your leader, as your equal as a Huntress. Part of you still thinks of her as simply your little baby sister; someone to be cared and nurtured, not giving battlefield instruction."

Weiss opened her mouth to protest, to shout that he was all wrong, but the words wouldn't come out. One benefit of being as intelligent as Weiss was that her mind could quickly process new information. It was acting more like a curse in this instance, as her mind instantly replayed through all her recent actions and applied Port's observations, allowing her to see her actions in a more objective light.

The answers it gave her weren't to her liking. Part of her had heard Ruby but had immediately filtered it out as being unimportant. All of Ruby's words, advice that was meant to help her fight, was just white noise to her.

Instead of a harsh rebuke at Professor Port, it was a strangled sob that came out of Weiss's mouth. This was quickly followed by several more as tears started to flow. She felled to her knees and covered her mouth with both hands, vainly attempting to hold her sobs in.

No wonder her sisters were mad at her; to them it seemed like she was blatantly ignoring Ruby and not giving her proper credit. They simply assumed Weiss was being stuck up little bitch, which even she admitted she could be at times, and figured that brushing her off was her just desserts.

But it was far more then that. Weiss knew that being a Huntress, being a hero, was Ruby's greatest dream. She had poured so much blood, sweat and tears into being the best warrior she could be and had been rewarded by attending Beacon two years early. It was an amazing achievement, one that clearly showed that she was one her way to becoming a great Huntress.

Yet, here Weiss was, effectively saying that Ruby couldn't do it. Part of her still though that Ruby was just a little girl and thus had no place fighting Grimm. She had automatically assumed that Ruby would have nothing useful or meaningful to say during that battle.

Thinking further back, Weiss realized that there were a few other times in the past year or so when she had done the same thing. It didn't happen often and during the battle in the Emerald Forest she had followed Ruby's lead completely, but the hard truth was that she did ignore Ruby at critical times. Even if she only did it rarely, what would happen if this was a during a serious battle? One or more of her sisters could be hurt or killed if she didn't follow her leader's order when she needed to.

All day she had been complaining that her sisters had been acting so immature, but that wasn't the case; she was the immature one.

Not believing in Ruby was that same as spitting on her dream, of telling her all her work was pointless. To do this to Ruby, the one who had given her hope when all seemed dark, who had warmed her when the icy cold had almost consumed her, was absolutely unforgivable.

Weiss Xiao Long was a vile, horrible, unlovable, unforgivable, terrible piece of shi-

"You are a truly kind and virtuous individual, my dear." Weiss looked up and saw Port was towering in front of her. His figure was imposing, but a big smile was showing through his bushy mustache. "Not matter what, I can tell that you are indeed Summer Rose's child".

Port reached out his hand and helped Weiss to her feet before handing her a red handkerchief. The girl wiped her eyes and blew her nose several times before speaking again.

"Y-you knew my mother?" she asked, her voice shaking and her eyes red.

"But of course! I may have only been a TA back then, but I was working here at Beacon when your Mother and Father were attending. My, the stories I could tell about all the trouble Team STRQ got up to during their fours years…well, that's for another time."

Port placed a comforting hand on Weiss's shoulder. "The biggest thing I noticed about Summer, beyond her skills in battle or leading a group, was the sheer amount of consideration and empathy she held for others. She dedicated everything to helping all those she could, doing her best to ensure everyone could smile happily. You and your sisters have inherited this same kind spirit, I know."

Weiss opened her mouth, confusing reigning on her tear-streaked face.

"Yes, yes" Port said, waving her oncoming protests down, "your recent actions have not been completely kind in regard to your younger sister, true. But I believe that it stems from your love of her, not anger or hatred. You want to always be there to protect Ruby and thus you are having difficulty accepting that she has grown up and can take care of herself. While having a negative effect, these actions are coming from a good place."

"But Weiss, no one comes to Beacon without some flaw in their technique or personality. Why, if you were absolutely perfect in every way, I would give you your Huntsmen license right now and send you on your way. But you are a normal human girl, with both the great faults and limitless potential that entails. If you are unable to overcome this particular fault today, then perhaps you can tomorrow. And if not, then the next day. You have as much time as you need to better yourself; and you have both your team and the staff at Beacon to help you. We all want to help you to be both the best Huntress and the best person you can be."

Weiss didn't know what to say and so simply nodded while wiping her nose a few more times. What could she really say to all that? The last few minutes had been one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. Perhaps in was true arrogance to assume that she was a completely good person; she had been raised well and had a loving and supportive family. But it seemed there were several of areas that she still needed lots of work on.

A small smile graced Weiss's face.

"Ah, there's your wonderful smile. It never failed to brighten the atmosphere when you were young and I'm glad that it's still the case."

Weiss nodded at the compliant before tilting her head in confusion.

"Wait…we met when I was younger? You said you knew my parents from their time at Beacon, but did you visit us on Patch? I can't remember meeting you before."

"Why yes, I did make a few visits down to Patch many years ago. I couldn't go often, and I haven't done so in years; both because of work and several other reasons. It was mostly around the winter holidays when I could make time to visit you all."

Weiss took a big step back and looked Professor Port up from head to toe, taking all his features in; Bushy eyebrows and mustache, a red suit, a large belly and a loud jolly laugh.

"…Santa?" Weiss said in a loud whisper.

"Ho Ho Ho! So, you do remember me! Yes, I played the part of good old Father Christmas for you and your sisters back when you were children. You four would sit on my lap and read me your Christmas wish lists. I remember yours was always quite long and detailed"

Weiss turned her head and blushed; she had been quite a demanding child.

"Think about what I have said this day" Port said, turning serious, "Think about your strengths and weaknesses and what you must do to overcome them. A good first step, I think, would be to patch things up with Miss Rose as soon as possible."

Weiss nodded and, seeing that she had taken his words to heart, Port bid her a good evening and departed. Weiss watched as the elder Huntsmen walked away. She felt bad now about laughing at Ruby's crude drawing of him. Professor Port may be less effective in a classroom, but he still was a fine teacher when it was most important. Plus, it turned out that he was actually the Santa Claus that had showed up at their house to give them gifts when she was a little girl.

Weiss frowned; if Port had been the one to visit them on Christmas, then that meant it wasn't the real Santa. Did that mean that…

Weiss slapped her cheeks lightly. " _Come on! Just use logic and reason and the answer in clear. Of course, that wasn't the real Santa back then…the real one is way too busy to be visiting people homes"_

Santa Claus had a difficult task each year, blasting though the hordes of Grimm in his heavy armed, rocket powered sled to deliver gifts to children and bright joy and light on the darkest day of the year. An incredibly important task that certainly took all of the man's time; thus, others had to dress up as him to keep the spirit of Christmas alive for all the children.

With the sheer scale of delivering presents to all Four Kingdom and all the villages in-between, there had to be some secret collision with both the Kingdoms' governments and the leading global businesses. Weiss was convinced that there was a hidden Christmas-Industrial Complex out there and was determined to get a slice of that pie when she founded the Xiao-Long Dust Company and led it to its rightful place as the biggest and greatest company in the world.

But, that was at least ten to fifteen years in the future. She had a much more pressing matter to attend to; apologizing to Ruby for being such an ass.

* * *

Coming up with suitable apology proved more difficult then Weiss wanted it to be; a simple "I'm sorry" or a plate of cookies just didn't seem like they would cut it. Ruby would certainly accept anything, cookies especially, but Weiss herself wouldn't be satisfied.

She laughed at herself; even when apologizing to others for her mistakes, she was still being selfish. She ended up walking around the school several more times, lost in thought, and it was late when she finally ended up back at the dorm room.

She opened the door slowly and quietly entered the dark room. A quick look showed that her sisters were all sleeping; Blake was curled up on her bunk while Yang sprawled out over hers. The sheet covering Ruby's bunk was drawn close, with the faint light of her lamp shining through.

Weiss sighed; looked like there would be no apology tonight. She walked softly to her own bunk and started to undress, removing her jacket and skirt. She threw this onto her bed and started to unbutton her shirt when she noticed something sitting on her pillow.

It was her Grimm plushie. She remembered placing on the shelf with her textbooks, so someone must have moved it to her bed; Ruby, most likely. She picked up the stuffed toy and gazed at it lovingly as memories flashed through her mind.

* * *

" _Weiss!"_

 _The young white-haired girl looked up from the large book she was reading and saw her little sister standing there, holding her shoes out in front of her._

" _Geez, Ruby" Weiss put down her book and got up. "You need to learn to tie your shoes yourself. This is the last time, I swear, so watch closely…"_

* * *

' _Weiss! This problem is too hard! Can you please help me?"_

" _Ok, Ok. I'll help you with your homework, but I'm not solving it all for you. You have to learn to do it yourself. Now…what are you having trouble with?"_

* * *

' _Seriously, Weiss…why do I have to wear this stupid get-up? The skirt is fine, but these stupid 'lady stilts' are just…stupid!"_

" _Now Ruby, this 'stupid getup' is the symbol of refined and mature women; which you will become even if it kills me. Now yes, high-heels can take some getting use to but its fine with a little practice. Just follow my lead and you'll be fine"_

* * *

Years of fun and love raced through Weiss mind, coalescing into two clear imagines. The first was of when she first met Ruby; holding out her favorite toy for her, innocent and pure. The second was of yesterday, of her standing on the rock as she led all of them into battle, confident and resolute.

The two images seemed in complete contrast with each other but also fit together perfectly. They were both parts of who Ruby was and Weiss needed to accept the while she was still her adorable and lovable baby sister, she was a capable warrior in her own right, well able to take of herself now.

Standing up straight and gripping the toy in one hand, Weiss reached out and slowly pulled back the sheet covering Ruby's bed. Even if she couldn't talk to her right now, she needed to see her.

She was shocked to see several sheets of papers laying on top of Ruby's pillow, surrounding the sleeping girl's head. With a pencil held loosely in her hand, it was clear that she had fallen asleep studying.

Weiss felt another stab in her heart. Ruby had probably gone on this late-night study binge because she felt she needed to prove herself to Weiss. It seemed that Weiss had been causing nothing but hardships for her little sister this day.

Weiss's gaze moved down from Ruby's face towards the rest of her body. She was laying on top of her blankets with her pajamas on.

Ruby wasn't so little anymore; she was already as tall as Weiss without her heels on. A quick look with her expert eyes showed that she was developing nicely, certainly more then she had at that age. Weiss could see that in a few more years, she would be an absolute bombshell; easily able to compete with Yang for position as the most attractive of the Xiao Long Sisters.

And one again, Weiss would be left behind by her sisters.

Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She needed to stop thinking like this. It was this self-centred thinking that created her Debt in the first place and started this current predicament. She had to accept that things were changing, no matter how much it terrified her.

Above all, Weiss was scared of being left behind, of being alone again. That cold feeling from that night twelve years ago was still there, at the edge of her being. It had only been there briefly, but Weiss feared it's return more then anything.

That was probably why she was having such difficulty seeing that Ruby had grown up. Even if Yang and Blake matured and outgrew her, she would always have Ruby who needed to her care and protect. She wanted to be needed; she needed to be needed. If her family didn't need her anymore, what did she have left?

But that was all wrong. Her family loved her and would always be there for her. That was the first lesson she had learn as part of the Xiao Long Family. She wouldn't be abandoned or left behind by her sisters, no matter what. They would love and support her, and she would do the same for them.

Weiss opened her eyes and gentle brushed a strand of hair from Ruby's peaceful face.

The young girl's eyes fluttered open at the familiar touch and she groggily looked at the figure by her bed.

"W-Weiss? Weiss! I was just-" Ruby jolt into wakefulness and rush exclamation was halted by Weiss placing her finger against Ruby's lips.

"Ruby…I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I trust you and believe in you. You may be my little sister, but you're my leader first and foremost. You're all grown up now and I need to acknowledge that fact. Its just sometimes my big, stupid brain doesn't want to listen".

Weiss gave Ruby a small smile before taking a deep breath. "I…I promise to do better; to be better. I swear, I change and be completely different from-"

"No!" Ruby whispered loudly, stopping Weiss in her tracks. "Don't change. Never change. I love you just the way you are."

Ruby lifted herself up slightly on her elbows and stared intensely at Weiss.

"Maybe I don't need you to tie my shoes anymore, but I still need you as you."

Ruby reached out with her right hand and gently caressed her sister's cheek.

"You…. My amazing, intelligence, silly, overbearing, perfectionist of a sister." Ruby's hand gently cupped Weiss's cheek. "My Weiss…"

Weiss managed to keep the tears from her eyes; she had cried enough for one day. Instead, she took hold of Ruby's hand and gently kissed her fingers and knuckles before gripping it firmly.

"I promise…I won't change, but I will be better. I will believe in you; not some or most but all of the time. Maybe I won't be able to do it tomorrow or the next day, but I will be the best partner you could ever ask for"

A long moment past as the two siblings simply looked at one another. There was much more that could be said; more declarations from Weiss, promises to talk it over with Yang and Blake and even an apology from Ruby for not being more forthcoming over why she had been upset. For now, however, it was enough for one night. With a quick kiss on the cheek, Weiss retreated back to her own bunk.

Her face reappeared a moment later and she tapped one of the scattered papers with a finger.

"That's wrong by the way." She said in a far too cheery tone before leaning forward and pointed at other question. "And that's wrong…and this part could have been expressed much better…"

"Weiss…" Ruby said flatly.

"No whining. You told me not to change, so I'll do what I always do; expect the best from you. As both your sister and the best partner ever, I'm not resting until you can do this perfectly. Now, scooch over."

Ruby rolled her eyes but still made room for Weiss, who promptly hauled herself up beside Ruby. She handed the Grimm doll that was still in her hand to Ruby as she closed the blanket screen and settled in. Ruby took it and immediately held it closely, a half-smile forming on her face.

It turned out there were many words left to be said, though ones focused on academic problems rather then personal ones. That was fine for now. The deeper problems hadn't been fully resolved yet, but it had been acknowledged and accepted. They would deal with it in due time.

They would handled it like they did with every challenge life threw at them; together as a family.

* * *

 **That's it for this chapter, sorry it took so long. With both work and school picking up, it may be a long while before I can get something new out. I want to focus on Dark Valkyrie next, but I won't be promising anything.**

 **I will be following the basic structure of the show in regard to the flow of events in this story, so the early focus is on Weiss, followed by some for Jaune and JNPR and then to Blake. I will try to ensure that one-character doesn't steal all the spotlight, but I'm just not comfortable with completely diverging from the show yet. With my writing style and limitations, I find focusing on one thing at a time to be far easier, so I apologize if things go slowly or some characters get push aside in favor of others in the short-term.**

 **In this version of Remnant, I envision Christmas as taking place on the Winter Solstice and emerged as a mean to keep people from having negative thoughts on the darkest day of the year and thus attract the Grimm. Santa Claus also has more of a warrior image given the violent nature of Remnant. This is all just a fun little idea I had for one moment in this chapter, but I might go into more detail later. Maybe the group will meet up with the real Santa on their post-season 3 travels, _a la_ Chronicles of Narnia? **

**I again apologize for any and all spelling and grammar mistakes in this chapter. Proofreading is a weakness of mine and I doubt I'll be improving much in the near future. I ask for your patience and understanding; I do re-read and edit my chapters after I release them. If there are any glaring problems, please shoot me a PM and I will fix it immediately.**

 **That's all for now. Please leave a Review or PM and tell me how you think things are turning out in this story.**


	7. Chapter 7: Explainations and Foundations

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY**

 **Chapter 7: Explanations and Foundations**

Once more, dawn's light washed over Beacon. Once more, Weiss Xiao Long cursed the arrival of morning. She had been having such a nice dream too, of being enveloped and embraced by a swirling vortex of soft rose petals. It had been so nice…

But the damn sun had to do its damn job so damn well and wake her up. Goddamnit.

Weiss slowly opened her eyes, accepting the inevitable. She noticed that the evil light of the sun was muted somewhat. This being due to the sheet that was covering her bed. That was strange; almost as strange all the sheets of paper covering the pillow around her head or the pencil that was jabbing into her shoulder. A strange and uncomfortable situation to be sure.

It took Weiss several moments to realize that something was pressing down on her chest; it was a very familiar weight. Looking down, she saw that it was Ruby; sleeping peacefully on top of her, with her head on Weiss's chest.

All thoughts about being uncomfortable were immediately thrown out; everything was perfect. Weiss wrapped her arms around Ruby, holding her close in a gentle but firm embrace. She closed her eyes and relax, listening and feeling the rhythm of Ruby's breathing.

Everything was absolutely perfect in this moment.

Almost perfect; Weiss felt a dark presence close by that was directing negative thoughts towards her. Reaching with her left hand, she raised the covering blanket and revealed two sets of eyes staring at her from just above the edge of the bed.

A brief staring contest ensured before Weiss's attention was brought back to Ruby. The young girl was shifting around in her sleep, rubbing her head against Weiss's breasts. As much as Ruby complained about having her face shoved into her sisters' cleavage when they hugged her, she had no problem using them as pillows when she was asleep.

Weiss smiled softly as her little sister settled back down into her sleep. She gently brushed Ruby's hair before kissing the top of her head. The white Xiao Long then turned to the side and gave the other two Xiao Longs the biggest, smuggest grin she could muster.

Sleeping arrangement among the Sisters were very complex, and when it came to Ruby, they became so convoluted as to be incomprehensible to an outsider. Seeing Weiss cuddling with Ruby out of nowhere, after insulting her just yesterday, made Yang and Blake feel just a little left out and envious.

Yang and Blake slowly lowered their faces until they were out of sight and Weiss let the curtain fall back down. She really shouldn't be acting so smug; chances were that she would be one glaring enviously at being left out of a cuddle session before the semester was out, but right now all she cared about was this particular moment with Ruby.

All good things had to end and after a few more minutes of peaceful rest, Ruby began to wake up. Her silver eyes fluttered open as she shifted around, rising her face to look at Weiss.

"Morning…" Weiss whispered softly.

"…Morning" Ruby echoed. The two gazed lovingly into each other's eyes for several moments before Ruby moved upwards and kissed Weiss on the cheek. The soft, love-filled kiss was short but it conveyed much. After the short kiss, Ruby nuzzled her head into the crook of Weiss's neck.

They laid there for several more moment, simply enjoying familiar warmth of the other body. It couldn't last, neither Beacon nor their sisters would wait forever, but they enjoyed it all the same.

"Come on," Weiss said reluctantly, "time to get moving."

Ruby let out an adorable whine but got up none the less. Weiss moved out from underneath her, opened the blanket-curtain and hopped off the bed. She reach her hand back in and took the plushie Grimm that Ruby handed to her. No matter what, Ruby always made sure that the plushie stayed with Weiss; it was her gift to her after all. Weiss placed the toy on her bunk as Ruby jumped off the bed herself.

Blake and Yang were on the other side of the room, packing their school bags and pointedly keeping their backs to the newly awaken pair. Ruby and Weiss smiled and shook their head at their sisters little antic.

"Let's get cleaned up. We'll double up in the shower." Weiss suggested, heading for the bathroom. Ruby nodded and followed along, closing the door behind her. The two quickly took off their clothes and got into the shower together.

Bathing together was a very common occurrence for the Sisters, and they were more then comfortable being naked in front of each other. Once the shower was going fully, they each took a bar of soap and began to scrub the other's body with practiced ease.

The bathroom door opened as they where shampooing their hair. Two people entered and placed something by the sink; there was no mystery this time as to who it was and what they had brought.

Ruby helped Weiss to quickly wash her long hair and they exited the shower. As they expected, their school uniforms had been laid out for them and their old clothes had been taken. The pair dried off and dressed quickly, with Ruby helping Weiss to put up her hair.

When they exited the bathroom, they found Yang and Blake standing in the middle of the room with their backs towards them. Ruby and Weiss shared a look before slowly tip-toeing towards their sisters.

When they got close enough, they sprang forward. Ruby kissed Blake on her cheek while Weiss kissed Yang on her left. In perfect unison, they took a half-step back before side-stepping around each other, with Ruby in range to kiss Yang's right cheek and Weiss for Blake's left. With their kisses of thanks given, they took a long step back.

Yang and Blake turned around, also in unison, and gave their sisters a hard look with their arms crossed. Ruby and Weiss returned those looks with wide smiles.

Yang and Blake could only keep the act up for a few moments before their faces broke into big grins of their own. The four embraced in a big ground hug in the middle of the room.

"You good?" Yang asked.

Ruby and Weiss looked at each other before turning to Yang.

"We're good!"

The four sisters exchanged a series of kisses on the cheeks and forehead, all under three seconds. While a little miffed at having Weiss taking the first night cuddling with Ruby at Beacon, which should have only happened after fierce negotiations, Yang and Blake were just happy that things had been worked out. Any break in their Sisterhood, no matter how small or short, was hurtful for all of them.

Having this matter resolved was wonderful and it was with happy smiles and warm hearts that Team RWBY left their dorm to begin their day at Beacon.

* * *

Lunch time was slightly less hectic today then it was yesterday. Everyone was getting use to Beacon and how life was going to be like here. That include the sight of Team RWBY stuffing their faces with an absurd amount of food. Granted, they still got plenty of looks, but the shock was wearing off.

The girls demolished their first serving in quick order and moved on to their second. They took their time with this plate, eating in a more leisurely manner and conversing among themselves and with JNPR, who had only begun to eat their lunch.

"I can't believe that Beacon lets animals eat at the tables. That has to be a health code violation or something."

Several people turned at the loud voice and they all silently groaned as they saw that it was Cardin Winchester, leader of Team CRDL. He and his team were strutting through the cafeteria like they owned the place. After only a single day, they had given everyone the impression that they were a bunch of jerks and bullies.

And Cardin was the leader of this group and he had apparently found his next target. He led his team between the cafeteria tables towards where Blake was sitting.

The Xiao Long Sisters all spared a single glance to the approaching group before turning back to quietly eating their meals. JNPR noticed this sudden change and were unsure of the cause or what to do, silently deciding to wait and see what was going to happen.

Cardin walked up until he was behind Blake, the rest of his team standing a bit further back. Those three were already snickering, confidence that their leader was going to give them a good show.

"What do we have here? Looks like you got the wrong plate; don't see any cat food on there. Only thing there is stuff _real_ people would eat." Cardin threw out these insults with a smug grin on his face.

None of Team RWBY acknowledged him at all. Blake continued to read the book she was holding off to the side in her right hand. Yang, who was siding next to Blake on her left, was slowly picking at her food while Weiss was sitting across from her and was calmly cutting a piece of her steak. Ruby was watching all of this across from Yang, a ghost of a smile on her face; she knew what was coming.

Cardin didn't; he had been so busy patting himself on the back after being named leader of his team, that he hadn't paid any attention to the rest of the ceremony. He completely missed the fact that this team of girls were all sisters, instead assuming that they were just a bunch of normal girls.

Normal was one word that never applied to the Xiao Long Family.

Blake continued to ignore Cardin, turning her head slightly away from him to fully look at her book.

"Hey! Are you listening?!" Cardin shouted, not appreciating having his well-thought out comments being disregarded. "Aren't those freaky ears good for anything?"

While Team RWBY wasn't reacting to Cardin's words, Team JNPR were furious. Blake had done nothing and here some asshole was making fun of her for being a Faunus. Ren and especially Nora understood how it felt to be picked on for things you really had no control over. Even Pyrrha knew that what Cardin was doing was unacceptable.

Jaune was almost shaking with rage. Broken arm or not, he wasn't going to stand for this happen to someone he considered a friend. He was just about to stand up from his seat when Ruby, who was sitting next to him, gently grabbed his left arm. He looked at her in confusion and was met with a knowing look as the Red Reaper quietly munched on a cookie.

Cardin was starting to get pissed. "I'm talking to you! Don't act like your better then me, you freak. Maybe I'll check and see if your freaky ear are working at all."

With that Cardin reached out with his right hand, going to grab Blake's left cat ear.

Before anyone could see or react, Yang grabbed Cardin's arm by the wrist and pulled it forward, slamming his hand onto the table. At the same moment, Weiss tossed her knife at Blake, who caught it daftly in her left hand. Blake took the knife and slammed it right between Cardin's fingers.

Both JNPR and the rest CRDL could only watch as Blake proceeded to play a game of 'Five Finger Fillet' with a very unwilling Cardin Winchester. Blake stabbed the small space between his fingers, over and over and faster and faster. Playing this sort of game would be intense enough, but it was made more so by Blake not even looking at Cardin, instead keeping her gaze firmly on her book.

A high-pitch cry came from the would-be bully as Blake's stabbing became a blur. He wanted to yank his hand away as hard as her could but couldn't move for fear of having a finger removed; not that Yang would have him.

As fast as it started, Blake stopped and quietly handed the knife back to Weiss. Yang released her hold on Cardin and went back to eating her meal while Blake continued to read her book like nothing interesting had happened at all.

Cardin almost fell backwards onto the opposite table, yanking his hand back so fast. He stared at the sitting group of girls, both angry and fear on his face. After an intense internal debate, Cardin made a beeline to the nearest doors, his teammates scrambling to catch up. As Cardin exited the cafeteria, he swore that he would get even with this group of…freaks!

Everyone followed Cardin's retreat until he had exited the cafeteria before slowly turning back to Team RWBY. The four girls were simply finishing up their meal, like nothing interesting had happened at all.

"Wow…" Jaune said, breaking the silence. "And I thought I could hit a hit note."

The Xiao Long Sisters looked at the blonde knight for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"HAAAAH! Y-you're right!" Weiss said through her laughter. "I don't know if I could go that high-pitch, hahaha!"

"Instead of Beacon, maybe he should have joined a choir!" Blake added as she banged her fist on the table, ironically making more of a mess then with her knife work.

The tension eased out the room as everyone went back to their meal, several snickering along with Team RWBY. Cardin had only received exactly what he deserved in the eyes of most of the student body.

Jaune and his team all breathed a sigh of relief that their friends weren't hurt or upset. When the Sisters finally settled down after several minutes, Pyrrha decided to speak up.

"Blake, are you…really okay?" she asked. "What Cardin said and did…it was absolutely atrocious."

"Yes, it is unforgivable that someone wishing to be a Huntsmen would engage in such behavior" Ren added, coughing into his hand as he finished.

"Yeah. If it was me, I'd break his legs," Nora added, "among other things…"

"It's fine, it's fine." Blake said, waving a hand. "I mean, it's not fine that he did that, but I'm okay. Unfortunately, it's something I'm used to."

"You shouldn't have to deal with stuff like that al all." Weiss said, her voice hard and cold. "The world would be better place without such vile, racist sacks of…garbage." Weiss visibly had to bite back a curse.

Blake reached across the table and gently took hold of Weiss's hand.

"I'm okay. As long as I have my family, simple words from a simple-minded bully aren't going to take me down." Blake smiled softly at Weiss, who returned it with one of her own.

"I know that. It's just…you're my twin; your pain in my pain." The white-haired girl gripped her sisters' hand firmly. "Anyone who messes with you has to deal with me."

'And me!" Yang added loudly. "Anyone trying to bully my little sisters is going to be in for a world of hurt"

The blonde brawler hit her fists together for emphasis before reaching out with her right hand to affectionately scratch behind Blake's left cat ear. The Faunus girl closed her eyes and tiled her head towards Yang, emitting a humming noise that sounded a lot like a cat purring.

Team JNPR all relaxed with this definitive proof that their friends had weathered that little storm just fine. They were family after all, so it was natural that they would have each other's back.

That thought caused Jaune, Ren and Pyrrha to watch the Sisters from the corner of their eye as they turned back to their lunch. While Nora eagerly returned to devouring her meal, the other three members of JNPR were thinking the same thing.

Team RWBY were all sisters…how the hell did that work? Weiss and Blake referred to each other as twins but it was literally black versus white; heck, one was a Faunus and the other wasn't. Neither of these two resembled Yang or Ruby and Ruby had a different last name from the rest; what was that about?

They knew that there were a hundred different explanations for this, and it wasn't their place to pry but those girls were so colourful and unique that they couldn't help but wonder. Jaune thought that maybe their situation was similar to his family but even then, there was a resemble between him and his sisters.

Unintentionally, the three musing members of JNPR all took a sip of their respective drinks at the same time.

Team RWBY… a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Their curiosity made them want to find out, but common curtsy prevented them from just asking. It would be too rude to blurt their question out, so instead they were thinking about how they could discreetly pry the information out over the course of the semester…

"Hey, how can you guys be sisters if you don't look alike?" Nora blurted out casually.

Team RWBY turned to look at JNPR, drawn by both the sudden question and the sound of Jaune, Pyrrha and Ren suddenly spitting out their drinks. The three coughed for several moments before their throats were fully cleared.

"NORA!" They shouted in unison, glaring at their teammate for being so rude. The Pink Valkyrie looked back at them in confusion.

"What? I'm only saying what we're all thinking."

Any attempt to admonish Nora for her behavior were halted as RWBY started to laugh again. It wasn't as loud or uproarious as before, but it was clear they found this hilarious.

"Geez, don't you think we get asked that all the time? It's completely fine." Yang said through her chuckles.

"We don't want to pry or anything…" Pyrrha said meekly. She knew that she was hesitant about talking about her family life, though for her own reasons.

The Sisters waved her concerns down; barely a month seemed to go by without them explaining or clarifying some aspect of their family's situation to somebody. They knew that while their relationship was perfectly normal to them, that it was very atypical to other people.

The Sisters proceeded to tell their new friends about the Xiao Long-Rose Family. Ruby and Yang were half-sisters with the same father but different mothers. Yang's mother had left soon after she was born and it was Ruby's mother, Summer, who had helped raise her. They explained that Blake and Weiss had been taken in 12 years ago after an incident caused them to lose their family and their memories. Since then the four had lived together and were sisters in every way that mattered.

They made sure to not specify that it was the _Light of the North/Cat's Paw_ collusion that was the incident that brought Weiss and Blake to Patch. While it wouldn't take much for someone to connect the dots, they didn't want it to become open they were survivors of a disaster that famously had no survivors. Their parents had done everything to prevent the media from finding out about their past and turning their lives outside down again just for a compelling story.

Like their parents before them, Weiss and Blake wanted to find out who their original families were by their own efforts. It was their personal quest, not something that a journalist could come and take as their next big scoop. The time may come that they would have to go public to find the answers, but they would wait until they were both adults and full Huntresses. That would give them more leeway in dealing with media.

But that was for the future; now they were just getting use to Beacon while explaining to their friends how their family worked.

It took several minutes for the Sisters to fully explain the majority of their background, with each one taking turns talking. JNPR listened with rapt attention, feeling sorrow at the pain they had experienced and joy at how far they've come. Nora and Ren both understood what it was like to lose your family while Pyrrha was more then a little jealous that they had such a loving and supportive family.

"So yeah, that pretty much all about us." Yang said, finishing up their explanation. "It was just great that that they let Ruby in early and even better that we all got on a team together."

"Yeah" Weiss commented. "I don't want to think what it would have been like to leave her behind, or if we had ended up on separate teams. Everything is at it's best when we're all together." Weiss patted Ruby on the head, messing her hair for a few seconds before her little sister playfully slapped her hand away.

"I can understand what you mean." Jaune said. "It wasn't easy leaving my family to come here."

The elder Xiao Long Sisters silently scoffed at him. It was doubtful that anyone, let alone an Arch-Pervert like him, could understand the depths of their familial bond.

"So…your close to your family?" Nora asked, curious. Ren and Pyrrha leaned in, interested as well.

"Oh yeah. We live out in a small village outside of Vale. It's a bit out of the way, but we come to Vale fairly often and travel to other Kingdoms a good amount as well. Still, it's just us most of the time, so we're all really close. 'Family is the most important thing you'll ever have, so don't squander it'. That's something I've been told all my life."

"I thought it was 'All girls look for is confidence'?" Ruby said.

'That's my Dad's advice." Jaune response. "My Mom is all about the importance of family."

Jaune took a bite of his dinosaur-shaped chicken-nuggets "Mother Opal on the other hand is always talking about helping those in need, while Mother Jasmine goes on about standing up for what is right." He took another bite. "It can be odd having four sets of parental advice to follow, but at least they don't contradict each other."

It took Jaune several seconds to realize that the others were all looking at him with very confused looks. He quickly swallowed his food and began to explain.

"I have one dad, three moms and seven sisters." Jaune held up the appropriate number of fingers with each number, struggling slightly to move two fingers on his right hand to make the seven. "There are twelve of us in total under one roof, though my eldest sister had recently moved out to live in Argus. When I say, 'My Mom', I'm referring to my birth mother, but I still see the other two as my mothers as well. My sisters are my sisters too, even if I'm only half-related to most of them. We're one family, no matter what."

It took a minute for his friends and teammates to fully comprehend what he had told them.

"Wait, wait." Yang finally spoke. "Your Dad's got three wives? Their part of some kind of harem?"

" **IT'S NOT A HAREM**!" Jaune shouted, slamming his fist onto the table and making the dinnerware shake. The others were all taken back; this was the first time they had seen him even raise his voice. Even when his arm was broken by Nora, he hadn't shown even a hint of anger.

Jaune's blue eyes blazed with anger before quickly disappearing. He turned his head and looked way. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout…sorry…"

"N-No I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said something like that." Yang was uncharacteristically contrite. No matter her personal feelings towards someone, she would never stoop to insulting their family without cause.

"No, No, it's just…I hate when people call my family a harem, though I guess I should be used to it by now. It makes it sound like my Dad only married my Moms for sex and that me and my sisters are just a…by-product. It's so much more then that."

Weiss spoke up, cautiously. "But if your dad has multiple wives, isn't that technically a harem?"

"It depends on how you view it" Jaune answered calmly. "I see a harem as being about one person having several partners who otherwise have no connection to each other, To me, that seems so selfish and hollow, and not really stable at all."

A soft smile formed on his face. "My parents are in a polyamorous relationship. My Dad is married to three women, but my Moms are all married to each other as well. They love each other as much as they love my Dad. If for whatever reason my Dad was taken out of the picture, they would still want to be together. The four of them are together because they want to all be together, and they have so many kids because they wanted a large family. There is so much love and affection in my house that it's almost suffocating; lots of mutual and equal love."

Jaune looked at his friends. "So, in my mind, my family isn't a harem; it's something much, much better."

The rest of the group silently contemplated what he had said. It sounded more then a little weird on one hand, but then none of the others had what could be considered a 'normal' childhood either.

"That's…a…well…" Pyrrha stuttered, trying to come up with the right words without being insulting. "It's just…is that legal?"

Jaune turned towards her, a bit surprised but more then happy to answer.

"It is. After the Great War, there was quite a large gender imbalance in the Four Kingdoms, as most of the soldiers killed had been male. With all the losses from both the War and rampaging Grimm, the Kingdoms were facing quite a population crisis. Polygamy was made legal in most places and it was encouraged for men to have multiple wives and lots of children. Most of those relationships were either fairly casual or all business but there were lots that were completely genuine.

"It fallen off in the last few decades, with the population stabilizing, so you don't hear or seen it very much in the main parts of the Kingdoms. Most polygamous families, like mine, live out in more rural districts or in villages. This is both because you need the space to raise a large family and to avoid possible discrimination; an unfortunately large segment of the population still views this lifestyle as deviant and degenerate."

Jaune shook his head angrily at this. "It not like we're different or anything. We do all the same thing as any other family; there just more of us in one house."

Ruby placed her hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"I understand; some people just don't get it. More then one person had told me that Weiss and Blake aren't really my sisters because we're not related by blood"

"Or that we aren't twins because of the same, which is complete bullsh-…balderdash" Weiss added, again replacing a near-curse.

Jaune looked at the Sisters, who all nodded at him. They understood how important family was and how frustrating it could be to have it questioned by others. Personal feeling from the elder Sisters aside, they were more then willing to give support and solidarity to someone with a similar background.

Now if only he wasn't such a pervert…

Jaune's teammates were lost in their own thoughts. Pyrrha could barely comprehend what a close, loving relationship with one other person would be like, as much as she wished she could, so an intimate relationship with multiple people almost made her head spin. Still, she had to admit that it sounded kind of nice, if it worked out like Jaune described.

Nora had similar thoughts as well.

" _Married to three people…three people who love you unconditionally…that sounds really nice…"_ A soft smile began to form on Nora's lips before turning to a frown as her thoughts turned darker. " _But that's impossible for someone like me. I'm a monster after all."_

Ren noticed the small change in his partner and decided to shift the conversation. Coughing loudly, Ren looked at Weiss.

"You said you don't remember where you came from originally? If you pardon me, but from your appearance I would hazard to guess-"

"That I'm probably from Atlas?" Weiss cut him off. "Yeah, and Blake's most likely from Menagerie, but beyond that we don't know anything."

"Have you ever gone to visit Atlas or Menagerie? Maybe that would help you remember" Jaune suggested.

"I wish…" Blake said wistfully, "But it's never been in the cards for us"

"Our family's never been rolling in money, so big vacations around the world are out of the question. Day trips to Vale are the most we've ever got" Ruby explained.

Nobody noticed the tight look on Weiss's face when their family's finances were brought up before she schooled her expression quickly.

Yang spoke up next. "One of the reasons we're becoming Huntresses is so we can travel the world. Huntsmen get free travel when on official business and it's easy enough to make money on the road. So, we can go where ever we need to find clues, all the while getting into crazy fights and helping people, so it one big win all around."

JNPR nodded; that was a very sensible and earnest goal to have.

Pyrrha thought back to the fight Weiss had the day before and something bothered her.

"Weiss, I noticed your Semblance is based around glyphs. From what I know, it looks similar to the Schnee Family's Semblance, and they're from Atlas; might a connection be there?"

"You're not the first person to bring up that similarity." Weiss sighed softly. "Some people suspected I'm some sort of long-lost Schnee 'princess' or something just because of my looks and glyphs. There are lots of people with white-hair in Atlas and the Schnee's don't have a patent on glyphs or something."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend you" Pyrrha said hurriedly. Weiss looked at her in surprise.

"What? No, it's no problem. Geez, you don't need to walk on egg-shells around us. As long as you're not a jerk like Cardin, you can ask us anything."

Weiss waved down another apology from Pyrrha before continuing.

"Anyway, I've gone over the Schnee connection several times with no luck. All the members of the family are accounted for. Nothing in the public records suggests that one of the young girls suddenly died or went missing twelve years ago, so I'd say that angle is a bust."

Weiss propped her chin up with her hand in a thoughtful pose.

"For all the man's many, many flaws. Jacque Schnee has never been accused of being unfaithful. He's a horrible, greedy, racist piece of garbage who obviously only married for the name but he as two and only two children; a Winter and a Whitley Schnee. So there doesn't appear to have been room for me in that family, thank god.

"Besides, all the Schnees inherit the exact same Semblance, which uses white glyphs. My glyphs are black, so I can't be related to them. I may be distantly connected, as records about the Schnee Family from before Nicolas Schnee's time aren't complete, but I can't be sure."

"I'd think it'd be pretty interesting if you were related to the Schnee's" Blake said. "Think about it; a young princess from a frozen kingdom is cast out by the winds of fate. She is found, lost and abandoned, by a new family who raises her with the love and care she never had before. When she is old enough, she will return to reclaim her throne, depose her cruel relative who stole it in a truly epic battle and then usher in a new age of peace and justice for the people!"

Blake's voice rose as she spoke this impromptu monologue. She started to stand up partway through and by the end was standing on top of the table. Her eyes were closed, and she made dramatic, sweeping gestures with her arms in time with her dialogue and finished with a spinning twirl; remarkably she didn't knock anything off the table with her movements.

JNPR, and the rest of the students presents, could only chalk this up as yet another oddity of this particular team. Blake's sisters could only sigh amusingly at her antics.

All those years of community theatre had quite the lingering effect on her. She could go from being calm and cool to loud and overly-dramatic in a heartbeat. It had started out simple, Blake re-enacting the scenes from their favorite stories for Ruby at bedtime. She enjoyed it a lot and so her parents suggested that maybe she should take this interest further.

A few summers at theatre camp, top marks in drama class in school and several critically praised performances at the Patch Community Theatre later, and Blake had developed superb acting skills. Lots of people had remarked on how good she was on stage and that she could have gone on to a professional theatre or even a movie career.

Of course, Blake had chosen to be a Huntress, so the closest she got to the stage now were these bouts of dramatic speaking.

Blake opened her eyes and blinked several times after she was done before quickly hopping off the table and returning to her seat. This wasn't because of any embarrassment on what she had just done in public, but because she needed to be seated for the next part of this fairly regular routine.

Blake pulled out a small notebook and a pen, one that actually belonged to her, and began to write furiously. She quickly filled several pages, muttering to herself all the while and seemingly oblivious to everything around her.

Yang turned to JNPR, an amused grin on her face.

"Behold, you are witnessing the creation of another of Blake Xiao Long's award-winning stories."

Blake absolutely adored stories and especially the process of making and telling them. To take an idea and craft it into something that could connect with other people, to make they feel strong emotions and become immersed into a whole new world had always struck Blake as being beyond amazing. She strove to be the best writer and performer she could be, seeing it as a way to reach people she otherwise couldn't.

That didn't mean she didn't struggle with it, as Weiss now explained.

"This book will tragically not be winning any awards…Because it will be shortly abandoned alongside all her other stories."

Blake suddenly stopped writing and tossed her pen into the air. She grabbed her fork with her now free hand and used it to stab a stray meatball form her plate, which she proceeded to fling at Weiss's face.

Her twin was more then ready for this attack and caught the edible projectile deftly in her mouth. She grinned widely at her sister as she chewed.

Blake caught the falling pen and pointed it at Weiss, her eyes having never left her notebook.

"None of my novels, scripts or screenplays are 'abandoned'. They are just in various stages of completion." She settled back to writing, at a slightly slower pace. "The road to excellence is a long one."

Seriously, did Weiss need to bring up that none of her novels, which were definitely award-winning in her mind, had never been published? The key word was 'yet'; it was all part of an author's journey. She would finish each story had started…one day…eventually.

Weiss swallowed the food. 'While I do think that my life is the epitome of 'excellence', perhaps it would be better to use your supposed origin as inspiration?"

"There's barely enough there for a short story, let alone a novel. You make for a much better muse."

Blake noticed form the corner of her eye that Team JNPR were all looking at her expectantly. They had been getting all of their backgrounds this meal and certainly wanted to know her possible origin along with Weiss's. Leaving an unsatisfied audience was unforgivable to a storyteller like Blake, so she decided to indulge them.

"As Weiss said before, we're pretty sure I'm from Menagerie, but beyond that I don't have a clue. Being a Faunus can mean I have two Faunus parents or that one of my parents is human. My parents could be cat Faunus or any other kind of animal under the sun. And while Menagerie may be organized and run more like a village then a Kingdom, it's by no means a small place. There also no CCT Tower, so not much in the way of digital records or the like, so finding anyone who may have known me will be a needle in a haystack."

Blake was quiet for a moment, tapping her pen on her notebook.

"It be best to focus on finding where Weiss came from first; there are better odds there."

'No." Weiss's response was short but forceful. "We've talked about this. We are not going to put your search on hold in favor of mine. We are going to find the truth; together and at the same time."

Blake smiled at her twin's insistence. Simple logic would dictate that they had a much better chance of finding clues in Atlas, thanks to its advance digital infrastructure, then in the less advanced and organized Menagerie. Thus, it would naturally be more efficient to focus first on finding Weiss's family; Weiss was all about being logical and efficient.

Except when it came to her family, then emotions tended to lead the way. Weiss was not going to let something as important as finding Blake's family be sidelined by reason and logic. When they finally become Huntresses and they had to pick a place to start their search, they were certain to get into a fierce fight, each arguing to start looking for the other's family first.

Blake didn't care; hearts often overruled the head in the Xiao Long family and it simply made her love her twin sister all the more.

Yang touched Blake's shoulder and gave her own determined look. She would help them out as well, alongside her search to locate her own birth mother. She didn't have many nice things to say to Raven when she found her, but she was going to find her none the less. All three of them were working together to find the answers of where they had come from.

Ruby was the only one to not give any kind of silent support to this ongoing endeavour. The Search was the one thing she couldn't share with her sisters and it was safe to say she had complicated feelings regarding it.

After a few quiet moments, Blake returned to addressing JNPR.

"That all about us for today. You pretty much got the whole story about us; time next it will be you guys telling us about yourself."

Blake took note at how Nora looked down at her plate, how Ren suddenly had a small coughing fit and how Pyrrha had a look of barely-contained horror on her face. The prospects of talking about their pasts seemed to be very unpleasant for them. Blake quickly turned her attention to Jaune.

"You said you had seven sisters? You got to have loads of stories to tell."

"Oh, definitely. I love those girls to death, but they also drive me absolutely crazy sometimes. I'd be more then happy to tell you guys about it later." Jaune replied, ignorant of his teammates reactions.

The Sisters nodded, with Blake taking note of the relieved expressions on the faces of the rest of Team JNPR. She would tell her sisters about it later, about how they didn't seem ready to divulge their pasts yet. They would respect that choice for now, but they would try and get them to tell all at a later date. They truly wanted to know more about them, and they knew from personal experience that the bad things of the past won't go away if you simply try to ignore or forget about them. The only way to get pass it was to talk about it with others and when the time was right, they would be more then willing to lend an ear.

But that was for the future; a ringing bell signaled that lunchtime was over and that afternoon classes would begin soon. The two teams quickly finished the rest of their meals and hurried on out.

Overall, everyone was quite satisfied with the meal, both with the food and with the conversation. Team JNPR was pleased to find out more about their new friends and were almost in awe that they could have taken such hardships yet still be so happy and driven in their lives. Team RWBY didn't get as much information out of this exchange as they had given but they were still happy to share their story with them.

They were surprised at learning about Jaune's background; it was certainly unique but so was their life. His words and reaction left no question how much he valued his family, which was something he had in common with the Xiao Long Sisters. Yang, Weiss and Blake had to admit that their respect for him had increased a bit.

They still though he was an Arch-Pervert and if he so much as tried to touch Ruby they would end him in a heart beat but were beginning to think that maybe being forced to be friendly to him by Ruby wouldn't be so bad after all. His genuine dislike of the concept of a harem let them know that he wasn't going to attempt to seduce multiple girls at once like they had thought, so he wasn't the absolute worst kind of man.

Once again, the overprotective sisters were more then a little off in regard to Jaune's intentions. It was true that he had no interesting forming a sexual harem, for the reasons he had stated before. His attempt to be confident and flirting had backfired on the first day, so he wasn't going to be 'seducing' anyone; that wasn't really him to begin with.

But if they had asked him would possibly want to have a polyamorous relation in the same vein as parents, the kind he had talked so passionately about before, then the answer would be a very definite 'yes'.

Things were going to get very interesting in Team JNPR.

* * *

 **A somewhat shorter chapter with lots of exposition. We see how the Sisters deal with both internal problems and external threats and get some more unique characterization for Blake.**

 **In regard to the girls' relationship with one another, the main idea I'm going with is that the girls are pretty much one step away from being romantic with one another. They are comfortable being naked in front of each other, bathing together and love to sleep, hold, touch and kiss each other. They have a few boundaries in place, but overall their relationship is much deeper then with normal siblings due to their unique circumstances.**

 **This is the earliest point where I could shed some light on why Weiss and Blake weren't found by their original family or why no one knew who Weiss was right off the bat. The full story will be reveals much later, when the Schnees and Belladonnas are introduced fully into the story for the Vytal Festival, which is quite a way off, so the main summary is;**

 **By the time the CCT was restored, everyone on board the ships was declared dead so neither Blake or Weiss's family tried to look for them. Weiss's physical traits are fairly common for people of Atlas in this story, so no one would know who she is just by looking at her. Weiss saying that there are no public records of a third Schnee child should make it clear that Jacque Schnee erased her from all the records after she was presumed dead. I'm going with that Winter was the heiress for the family until she disobeyed her father to join the military and thus Weiss, as the second child, didn't receive much in the form of media attention for her early life. Only those close to the family remember who she was, and Jacque has made sure that they never talk about her.**

 **For Blake, her family is so far removed from everything in Menagerie that most people don't know who the Belladonnas are, and their private life is unknown to most, including that they had a daughter. Ghira is still the leader of the White Fang while Kali is the Chief of Menagerie and both are busy trying to keep Human-Faunus relations from breaking down.**

 **Alongside Pollination, this story will feature a romantic relationship between all the members of JNPR with each other. Jaune comes from a polyamorous family and in turn would like to have a polyamorous relationship, though he has no clue how to start one and isn't trying to make one right out of the gate. Sufficed to say, Jaune is pansexual and is open to anything, with the others developing feeling for one another as the story goes on. I feel this is quite a unique take on things and will lead to an interesting relationship between the members of Team JNPR. We'll be going more into this next chapter.**

 **(P.S. Does anyone know of a good ship name for a poly JNPR? Juniper Berries was the best I could find, but there not a lot of names for it out there, mostly because there are so few stories of it compared to Pollination. If you have any suggestions, let me know.)**

 **Once thanks for reading this story and please leave a review or PM to share with me any thoughts, questions and ideas you may have for this story. See you next time.**


	8. Chapter 8: Evening Comtemplations

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY**

 **Chapter 8: Evening Contemplations**

Evening began to fall on Beacon as the first week of the school year ended. Students and teachers alike were relieved and were all looking forward to the coming weekend. The topic of discussion for the entire day was how everyone was going to spend their time off, with most groups coming up with plans to do as a team.

Team RWBY and JNPR had decided to go out to the city together. Despite living in the Kingdom, the Xiao Long Sisters hadn't seen everything the main city had to offer, being only able to do the occasional day visit. Jaune had only visited parts of the city as well and while Nora and Ren had lived in the city for the last couple of years, they had been in the dorms at Bonfire Academy in the Agricultural District, so there was a lot for everyone to explore and discover about Vale.

Pyrrha walked around the grounds of Beacon, occasionally breaking into a jog before settling back down into a slow pace. She wasn't out here for the exercise; this was just what she did when she needed to think.

In many ways, she was the most excited for this weekend, as she was completely new to Vale. Exploring a whole new city with a group of people she saw as friends and who saw her as a friend and not a celebrity. This was what she had wanted when she decided to leave Mistral and part of her was overjoyed that everything was going so well.

But she wasn't outside thinking about how happy she was; she was here because of another set of emotion was plaguing her. That emotion was confusion and it was made all the more confusing based on the cause, namely her new friends from Team RWBY.

It had started a few days ago, during afternoon classes on the second day at Beacon. Combat Class was the last class of the day and she wasn't surprised that she got called up to take part in a demonstration spar. She was more surprised that it didn't happen the first day, but then that first class had been all about introduction to what the class would be about, so this was the earliest opportunity to have the new students fight.

She was a bit surprised that it was Yang who was chosen to be her opponent but thinking about it, it made a lot of sense. Outside of her championship, Pyrrha had graduated at the top of her class at Sanctum while Yang had done the same at Signal. It would serve as a good benchmark to showcase two top first-years against each other.

The two exchanged a few words as Professor Goodwitch set up the match. Yang was bouncing on the balls of her feet while throwing a few practice jabs. Pyrrha hefted her shield and sword and took a ready stance opposite of Yang. The two girls both nodded when Goodwitch asked if they were ready, with Pyrrha quietly thinking about how she would have to hold back a bit. She didn't want to hurt Yang's feeling by defeating immediately, but also didn't want to insult her by making it obvious she was holding back for her sake.

It was thoughts of maintaining this delicate balance that were forefront in Pyrrha's mind when the buzzer sounded the start of the match and caused her to make a serious mistake right away. It was a simple mistake, one that everyone could make; especially as it was something as basic as blinking.

One moment, Yang was several feet away from her with her fists up in a standard boxing stance and a wide grin on her face. The next, the bell was given and Pyrrha unconsciously blinked, still thinking about how best to approach this fight.

When her eyes open a fraction of a second later, she saw that Yang was right in front of her with her right fist heading straight for Pyrrha's face. The blonde brawler was still grinning, but it was more feral and vicious then before.

Sheer instinct saved Pyrrha as her Semblance activated before she could consciously think of it and by pushing against Yang's gauntlet, made her fist change trajectory. Given the distance and force behind the punch, she wasn't able to make Yang miss completely and so Pyrrha received a grazing blow to her right cheek.

Pyrrha stumbled to the side, reeling from the blow. How…how could a simple punch have so much power that a mere graze could knock her off balance? Her cheek was burning with pain, worse then many direct blows she had taken in the past.

The Champion of Mistral, often called the 'Invincible Girl' in the media, had to scramble to regain her footing and rise her shield to block Yang's next punch. This one sent Pyrrha sliding backwards, almost to the edge of the stage and she felt the force of the blow reverberate through her shield arm. All thoughts of holding back were cast aside as Pyrrha had to use everything she had to prevent herself from being knocked out by the impossibly strong blonde Xiao Long.

For the next three minutes, the two Beacon students clashed in a furious bout of combat. Along with being incredibly strong, Yang was very fast with her punches. It took everything Pyrrha had to dodge and block, her Semblance turning several hits into grazes or near-misses. They still hurt a lot, so a direct hit was something she didn't want to experience.

Still, Yang was a fairly straight-forward fighter, so Pyrrha was able to get in plenty of her own hits in; while having less power the Yang's, they were direct hits versus grazes. When the bell sounded the end of the three-minute match, both fighters' Aura levels were in the yellow but Pyrrha's was slightly higher then Yang's

"Winner, Pyrrha Nikos" Goodwitch called out, followed by the excited applauses of the audience. It was an amazing fight to see and everyone was thoroughly impressed.

Pyrrha wasn't basking her in victory, being more focus on catching her breathe and trying to get some feeling back into her now numb shield arm. That was perhaps the toughest fight she had been in for a long time, and it was only a simple classroom demonstration fight; no high-stakes championship on the line here.

She had won based on Aura level at the end of the time; she had won on points. It had been years since she had won that way, being instructed to always go for a more direct and spectacular Aura or ring knockout. All her victories at the Mistral Regionals had ended that way yet a simple spar with a classmate at Beacon had pushed her over the time limit.

She was surprised when Yang came over and thanked her for a good match and asked if she was okay. Pyrrha was stunned by this display of sportsmanship and could only nod dumbly. She knew that it was supposed to be this way, but the last couple years of her life had revolved around the Mistral Championships and most of her opponents couldn't disguise their anger and disappointment when they lost to her.

Yang was being completely genuine, she wasn't mad that she had lost and seemed to really have enjoyed their fight. Beside some light-hearted chiding, her sisters weren't angry over the outcome and the praise Pyrrha got from her team-mates seemed more real then any she had received before. Afterwards, the rest of the afternoon and evening pasted like it had before, with friendly conversation; the match being only one of day events.

It was all so surreal but not in a bad way. She couldn't help but feel good about everything as she went to sleep that night.

The next day, Pyrrha was again called up to fight in Combat Class. She was a little surprised to be up again so soon but a part of her was eager to be fighting again. The fight with Yang had lit a fire inside of her and she was actually excited to fight.

She couldn't remember the last time she felt that way. It had always been that fighting was a duty and obligation she had to fulfill, not something she did for herself.

While more then fine with going up again, she had to raise an eyebrow when Weiss was announced as her opponent. Weiss had also graduated top of her class at Signal and had shown some interesting powers during the fight with the Boarbatusk, but it seemed odd that she was facing off against another member of Team RWBY so soon.

Pyrrha said nothing, simply nodding at Weiss as she climbed the stage before getting into a readied stance. She gave another nod when Goodwitch asked if they were ready, never taking her eyes off Weiss. She wasn't going to get caught off guard again.

The bell sounded and neither combatant moved at first, merely watching the other. After several seconds, Weiss suddenly dashed forward and began rapidly jabbing with her rapier.

Pyrrha blocked these attacks easily, but the speed and force of each jap kept her on the defensive. Weiss was managing to keep her at a distance, so Pyrrha decided to rush forward and keep her pinned. She crashed her shield against Wiess's rapier and managed to push the smaller girl back several steps.

Weiss rallied and succeeded in holding Pyrrha back. Despite the difference in size, Weiss was matching Pyrrha's strength and started to push back. The two become locked in a pushing match, neither giving an inch.

Weiss's rapier, held in her right hand, was now pinned against her chest by Pyrrha's shield. Pyrrha's sword, however, was still freed and she raised it over her head, preparing to take advantage of the opening to land a powerful blow.

Pyrrha had learned that Weiss was supremely intelligent during their earlier talks and had just learned first-hand how physically strong she was. Now, as she prepared to attack, she learned another interesting thing about Weiss; she had a mean left hook.

Weiss's left fist collided with Pyrrha's jaw, scrambling the Champion's brain and making her stumble back a few steps. While not as devastating as one of Yang's punches, it was still incredible and hurt more then most hits Pyrrha had taken before. A swift kick put one of Weiss's platform heels into Pyrrha's gut and forced her back further.

Pyrrha bent over and sucked in air, her head spinning and her stomach aching. A whirling mechanical sound made her raise her head and see that Weiss had changed her rapier into its lance form and was preparing to throw it.

The red Myrmidon gritted her teeth and got up. She deflected the thrown lance with an upward swing of her shield, sending Myrtenaster spinning into the air. She was about to counter-attack the now weaponless Weiss, but the white-haired girl had other plans.

Lightening fast, Weiss dashed forward, ducking under Pyrrha's reactionary sword swing and got behind her, grabbing her by the red sash tied around her waist. The red-head only had time to glance at Weiss and see the smirk of her face before the white Xiao Long pulled Pyrrha up and over her shoulders. She arched her back and fell backwards, slamming Pyrrha's head into the floor in a perfectly executed Atlesian Suplex.

"Welcome to Suplex City, bitch!" Pyrrha thought she heard Weiss say softly but couldn't be sure with how much her head spinning. She was only vaguely aware of Weiss rolling away and standing back up.

Years of harsh training forced her to focus just as Weiss grabbed her falling lance and stabbed down at Pyrrha's face. Her Semblance activated, more by instinct then conscious thought, and moved the lance tip so it embedded in the floor next to her head. The fallen Champion leapt up and rammed both of her feet into Weiss's chest. As her opponent fell back, Pyrrha hefted her weapons and charged forward.

A furious melee ensued, with Pyrrha attacking with almost reckless abandoned. Weiss held her ground, switching Myrtenaster between it's two forms but she was definitely taking more hits then she was giving.

" _I am Pyrrha Nikos!"_ The red-haired fighter shouted in her mind. Anger, an almost foreign emotion for her, filled her being. " _I am Champion. I will not falter… I will not lose…"_

A loud, sharp sound halted her attacks and it took her a moment to realize it was the bell to end the match. Pyrrha slowly looked up to the scoreboard and saw an almost exact copy of yesterday's result; both of their Aura levels were in the yellow but Pyrrha's was a bit higher then Weiss's.

She had won again…on points.

Weiss walked over and thanked her for a good match. The anger Pyrrha had felt vanished and she returned the gesture. She stumbled numbly through the rest of the day, trying to understand why she had felt that way at all.

The next day brought the same, with Pyrrha being called to fight. Several students began to openly wonder if Pyrrha had done something wrong or was being punished. They were all here to learn how to fight but this seemed excessive.

Pyrrha simply accept it all. What she had a harder time dealing with was who her opponent was. She couldn't help but give Professor Goodwitch a hard, inquisitive stare as Blake Xiao Long was called up. The veteran Huntress gave away nothing, merely instructing Pyrrha to get ready.

Blake gave no sign that she daw this situation as being odd, so Pyrrha resigned herself to another match with one of the Xiao Long Sisters.

Neither Pyrrha or any other student knew how desperate things were becoming, that the situation with the Fall Maiden was dire and that a new Maiden needed to be found before the powers were lost to Salem and her ilk. Ozpin needed to push this group of warriors hard and see if any of the young females were perhaps worthy of being the next Fall Maiden.

Thanks to her previous accomplishments, Pyrrha was at the top of the list for potential Maiden candidates but her social awkwardness and lack of people skills was a problem. They needed a Maiden who would help people and stand against the darkness because she wanted to, not because she was told to. They needed to push Pyrrha, both physically and mentally and what better way then with the group of girls that she was quickly becoming friends with.

Perhaps it was cruel to do this at the very beginning of the school year, but time was of the essence. It also tested the members of Team RWBY against a strong opponent. The daughters of Taiyang and Summer were also of interest of Ozpin; could one of them what they needed?

But that was for the future and both Pyrrha and Blake didn't know of it. The only thing they cared about was this match and how to win it. Pyrrha gripped her sword and shield tightly and Blake held her sword in one hand and her bladed sheath in the other. Pyrrha wouldn't be able to pin or disarm Blake easily.

When the bell rang, Pyrrha rushed forward, intending to end this fight quickly. Blake didn't oblige and dodged Pyrrha's blows. It was like trying to hit a shadow, she just slipped around Pyrrha's attacks before counterattacking and soon Pyrrha found herself on the defensive.

Blake wasn't limited to just her blades and she launched a left high-kick to the side of Pyrrha's head. The Mistralian raised her right arm and while she succeed in blocking the kick, the sheer force of it cause her upper body to bend slightly. Again, Pyrrha was astounded by the raw strength these girls possessed. If that kick had landed, she would have been knocked out for sure.

Pyrrha tried to back away but hit a snag; while her attention was focused on Blake's kick, the black Xiao Long had shifted her sword into its sickle mode and used it to wrap her ribbon around Pyrrha's left foot. A strong tug and Pyrrha was swept off her feet,

Instead attacking her fallen opponent, Blake slid down onto the ground herself, wrapping both her legs around Pyrrha's left leg and getting in her into an ankle lock.

Submission holds weren't very common in this age of superpower Semblances and weapons that were also guns, so Pyrrha had very little training on how to deal with them. Her Aura couldn't block out all of the pain from this type of attack and as Blake start to pull and twist her ankle, Pyrrha knew it would only be a short time before she would have to submit.

Thinking fast, Pyrrha threw her shield up towards the ceiling. It hit the metal support beams and deflected back down at just the right angle to be aiming towards Blake. The cat-girl's senses were sharp, and she broke the leg-lock and roll away, the bronze shield striking the floor where she had just been. Pyrrha quickly got back to her feet and retrieved her shield. Blake had jumped back onto her feet and the two resumed their fight.

Twice, Blake tried to get Pyrrha in a submission hold again. She tried to grab her leg again with her ribbon but Pyrrha swiftly cut it with her sword. Blake then managed to move around Pyrrha and grabbed her left arm, twisting it behind the Champion's back. Pyrrha countered by changing her sword's form and the extending butt of her spear hit Blake in the side, forcing her to release her opponent.

Blake continued to dodge and weave around Pyrrha's attacks, using her dexterity and flexibility to avoid blows. Pyrrha found herself using her Semblance to pull Blake's weapons, and thus Blake herself, closer rather then pushing them away. It was the only way that she could knock Blake off balance enough to land a hit.

Again, anger began to build within Pyrrha. What few blows she could land were filled with her rage and hit harder then she meant to. Blake took they the hits well and it barely slowed down her own attacks.

They did have a notable effect on her Aura though. When the time ran out and the two stopped their fight, Blake's Aura was lower then Pyrrha's, giving her the win.

Pyrrha Nikos had won again…on points.

The anger disappeared again, leaving only confusion and unease with how everything was turning out. Looking at Team RWBY after the fight didn't bring about any rage or hate and talking to them only reinforced how much she enjoyed their company and really hoped they could forge a solid friendship. She laid awake long into that night thinking over this situation, with no real answers to be had.

Today was the last day of classes for the week and the script had been pretty much set. Goodwitch had the decency to look a little apologetic as she called Pyrrha up for the fourth time in a row. She wasn't the only one who knew what was going to happen, as Ruby jumped out of her seat the second her name was called and got prepared in record time.

Pyrrha gripped her sword tightly and found herself glaring at the little red reaper. She just didn't understand why-

The bell rang and Pyrrha suddenly found herself on her back and looking up at the ceiling. Her mind was clouded, not sure what had happened; at least the falling rose petals were nice to look at…

Her ingrained instincts made Pyrrha cover her face with her shield just as Ruby brought her scythe blade down. Pyrrha pushed the blade away and leapt back onto her feet, lashing out with her sword. Ruby dashed away in a swirl of rose petals, right to the edge of the stage before leaping forward in as a mass of red and launching a power drop kick at her opponent.

Pyrrha blocked with her shield and Ruby backflipped off it, reengaging her scythe and swinging widely as she landed. The bronze shield took the blow, but the force of it still made Pyrrha slide sideways along the floor for a couple feet in a half circle. Absurd strength seemed to be a family trait for all the Xiao Longs.

Pyrrha pushed the scythe away and took several steps back to catch her breathe and size her opponent up.

Along with great strength, the, the Xiao Long Sisters had all displayed impressive speed, but Ruby's was exceptional. The way her cloak would wrap around her and the cloud of rose petal spoke that this was her Semblance. She had used it to knock Pyrrha down the second the match started and was utilizing it effectively to both dodge and attack. It seemed she could only move at superspeed in a straight line; she was using it to great effect to hit and run but it made her movements somewhat predictable.

Predictable didn't mean easy and Pyrrha again had to give all she had to hold Ruby back. Rage started to build within her as images of her previous fights with this family swirled in her mind.

" _How…How can they be so strong?!"_ Pyrrha screamed in her mind. She had been called the best of her generation and that wasn't an empty boast. Her family had spared no expense in her training, employing experienced Huntsmen to teach her all there was to know about combat. In regard to fighting other people, she had been far ahead of any of her peers throughout her time at Sanctum.

She wasn't arrogant to think she was the best in the world and knew there had to be bigger fish outside of her own little pond. But she didn't expect to be pushed this hard so quickly, especially by people in the same year as her; hell, Ruby was two years younger! It had been a solid fact to her that she was the best in her age group at least; these last four fights had shattered that assumption.

Along with images of Team RWBY fighting her, another set of past scenes filtered through her mind. These were scenes of the Xiao Long Sisters just being together; of them eating and laughing together. The unwavering love they held for one another seemed to shine in their eyes.

Hot, angry tears formed the corners of Pyrrha's eyes. " _Why, why… why do they get to be so strong and are still allowed to be_ _ **HAPPY?!**_ "

Growing up, Pyrrha had been pushed as hard as possible everyday for almost as long as she could remember. How many times had she been too sore and bruised to move, yet made to go another round? How many nights had she been sent to bed hungry because she hadn't done well enough, told that the hunger would motivate her? Not once had she seen a glimmer of warmth or affection in her parents' eyes and the love of family existed only in her dimmest memories.

That was just how things were, ever since her older brother had died twelve years ago in that great tragedy off the coast of Vale.

Pyrrha had inherited a great destiny, one that required her to be the strongest. She had come to accept that to she had to give up being happy in order to gain that strength and that her life would be one of sacrifice, to ensure that others could be happy. For years, she had accepted that and made it a foundation of who she was.

But now she had seen first hand that it wasn't the case. Yes, the Xiao Long Sisters had suffered hardships and tragedy, but it hadn't crushed their spirits. They were strong _and_ happy…was everything she believed just one big lie?

The rage inside of her was towards herself and fueled by the intense envy she now had towards these girls. She ducked low under Ruby's scythe, pulled her left arm back and smashed the edge of her shield as hard as she could into Ruby's chest. The younger girl was thrown backwards, falling to her knee and left wide open. Pyrrha took a step forward, intending to follow-up when the bell sounded and ended the match.

Pyrrha took several deep breathes before turning to look up ta the screen. She was both shocked and confused when she saw there was still ten seconds left on the clock. Looking over at the screen displaying Ruby's face, the bar showing her Aura had changed to red. That last hit had dropped her Aura just enough for it to be counted as a knockout.

Pyrrha had won by Aura-level knockout…barely.

"Whoa, that one heck of an attack at the end. Wish I could have fought to the end like my sisters, but I guess I still need lots of training." Ruby skipped over to Pyrrha, none the worse for wear or upset over her narrow loss. She paused as she looked at Pyrrha's face. "Hey, are you okay?"

Pyrrha hastily wiped away the few tears in her eyes. "Yes, I…just got something in my eyes"

Ruby nodded and said no more. They exited the stage together and were greeted by their teammates, who praised them both for such a close battle. There were several comments on how odd it was for Pyrrha of all people to be called up so many times, but she waved they away, not wanting to explain her fame right then and there.

Class was soon dismissed, and the two teams headed to the library to hold their study group. There wasn't much to go over after only one week, but Jaune was thankful for everything they could give them. They spent much of the time talking about how they found Beacon so far and discussing their plans for the weekend. By the time they separated, they had a solid plan to check several well-known places in the city, do a bit of shopping and have lunch at a new café that was getting lots of good reviews.

Pyrrha had spent the last couple of hours since just walking and jogging around the school, lost in her thoughts. Even with this strong force of envy now within her, she could only describe the time with Team RWBY as being lovely. They were such nice and interesting people that she loved spending time with despite all the confusion they had brought into her life. Those matches, while frustrating, had made her feel alive in a way the Mistral Regionals didn't. Their strength and skill were on another level compared to her past opponents, with Ruby's Semblance being quite difficult to deal with…

Pyrrha suddenly stopped in her tracks as something dawned on her. Ruby had used her Semblance during her match, but Yang, Weiss and Blake hadn't. Blake and Yang didn't fire their gun attachments of their weapons and Weiss didn't do any of the crazy Dust attacks she had seen before. They used only raw strength and skill to match her and lost by the barest of margins. If they fought again and used everything they had, could Pyrrha win? The only answer she could come up with was a maybe.

The last few years Pyrrha had trained against multiple foes at once, to better hone her skill and provided a better challenge that most solo opponent couldn't give her. But if she fought two of the Xiao Long Sisters at once, could she win? And if it was all four of them, there wouldn't be a maybe at all.

The tall girl stood still as a statue for several minutes, breathing deeply as her mind raced. Suddenly, she took off in a dead sprint, running as hard as she could. She needed to burn off all the energy she suddenly felt if she wanted any chance of sleeping tonight. A big, bright smile shone on her face as she made her lap around the school.

It really hit her just how amazing her friends from Team RWBY were, how great her teammates were. They were kind, generous, supportive and didn't try to pry into her background, instead simply accepting her for who was. She now wanted to support them while simultaneously wanting to become strong enough to truly surpass them. They were friends and rivals in one, a goal to reach not because she was told to, but because she earnestly wanted to.

Her parents would be shocked and humiliated that their prized daughter was acting in such a childish manner, but she didn't care. While they had disapproved of her going to Beacon over Haven, one Huntsmen Academy was as good as another and they accepted her reasoning that a different Kingdom with new fighters would do her skills better then staying in Mistral.

Of course, they real reason was that she wanted to get away from her fame and her family. She didn't know what real freedom would be like, but she was curious enough to leave her home behind to find it.

She wasn't sure if she had found it, but she was certainly looking forward to the future. She had a goal in defeating the Xiao Long Sisters while also looking forward to tomorrow where she would be hanging out with them all day. It was a crazy situation and she was loving it. Today may very well be the best day ever.

* * *

Pyrrha wasn't the only member of JNPR taking in the evening air while contemplating. Jaune had found a small section of the roof of the dorms and was leaning against the railing as he looked out at the campus ground and the lights of the city beyond. He thought he spied his partner running down below but couldn't be sure from this distance.

Thoughts of her partner and her recent fights were the cause of this particular night's musing. It was very strange to him that Pyrrha had been made to fight four times in four days, and against each member of Team RWBY in turn. It seemed wrong to make her fight so much in such a short time. If it continued to happen, he would make sure to file a formal complaint with the faculty. Pyrrha seemed unlikely to do something like that herself, so as her leader it was up to him to look out for her; it was the least he could do.

That of course was the problem; he was team leader to people who were such amazing fighters. Pyrrha's matches against the Xiao Long Sisters had left him speechless. They were only simple class fights, yet they were beyond anything he had seen before. And these were the first week for the First-Years; what could the older students and full Huntsmen and Huntresses do? He had known that Huntsmen were great warriors, but it was now hitting him just how far above the average they were, how much better they had to be.

Jaune wasn't a great warrior; he could barely swing his sword well enough to not hurt himself. He had learned the bare basics of self-defence, everyone living outside of the Kingdoms had to, but he wasn't Combat School-trained. His parents detested violence and conflict and wanted all their children to live peaceful lives.

Jaune wanted to be a hero like his great-great-grandfather, to help those who couldn't protect themselves. But with no Combat School close by, his only option would be to leave home and his family and for the young Arc that was too much. Even now, it had been hard to leave his home and all that he knew but he had to grow up and seize his dream. His older sister Saphron had done just that, having found both a good job and even love, if her last videocall was anything to go by.

This proved to Jaune that he couldn't just sit around at home, that he to go out on his own if he wanted to make his dream come true. His parents had argued against it but eventually relented to his desire to at least try. His lack of formal training should have made him a sure-in to fail outright, but against all the odds he had made it. He was on his way to becoming a Huntsmen.

But after only one week it had been made clear how much of a gap there was between a normal guy like him and the others. Team RWBY were all so incredible and Pyrrha was unbelievable in how good of a fighter she was. He overheard some of the other students calling her some kind of 'Champion'; he had no idea what that meant but it seemed to fit. He also knew how quick and acrobatic Ren was and had first hand experience at how monstrously strong Nora was.

He was completely out of his depth. What sense did it make that he, the absolutely weakest member of this team, be the leader? Part of him wanted to go to the Headmaster and ask to have Pyrrha made leader instead.

But then he would have to explain why he thought that way and the issue of his transcripts would have to brought to light and he was certain to be kicked out. He didn't want his dream to end so soon, not before he had really given it everything thing he had.

He was taken out of his musing when the door to this area opened and his other red-headed female teammate appeared.

"Ren? Are you up here?" Nora asked aloud as she exited the doorway. She looked around, failing to see her partner but spotting Jaune. "Oh, hey Jaune. Have you seen Ren around?"

Jaune turned around to face her. "Hey Nora. No, I haven't seen Ren since dinner, so I have no idea where he could have gone."

"Dang it, where could that ninja have gone to?" Nora tapped her foot in irritation. "Oh yeah, I noticed Ren was acting a little weird all day. Didn't say a word to me when I asked; you know anything about it?"

Jaune thought back on the day, specifically to that morning.

* * *

 _Flashback_

Morning light filtered through the window of Team JNPR dorm room as the teenagers within roused themselves, with varying degrees of success. Pyrrha was the most successful, showcased by her not being in the room at all. She had gotten up right at dawn and was out for her morning jog. Ren was up and slowly doing some morning stretches in his baggy green and black sleepwear as Jaune pulled his blankets off and reluctantly got up. Nora was still in bed, huddled under her blankets in a vain attempt to deny the fact that it was time to get up.

"Morning…" Jaune said between yawns. He stretches his left arm upwards, his right still in a sling, the sleeve of his blue onesie on that side hanging empty.

Ren gave a small nod in return before resuming his stretches. Jaune shook the rest of the sleep away and looked around the room, noticing Pyrrha's absence. He was still a bit in awe at how diligent she was, always doing a jog in the morning then taking detailed notes during classes and going over them again before bed. He was actually getting a bit worried that she was overdoing it, especially with how hard the teachers seemed to be pushing her. Hopefully she would get time to really relax this weekend.

Jaune popped off the top buttons of his onesie as he headed to his clothes drawer and pulled out a clean uniform.

"You mind if I take a shower first?" he asked Ren.

Before he could get a response, Nora suddenly flew out from under her blankets, snatched her uniform that Ren had already laid out for her and rushed into the dorm's bathroom. A moment later, the sounds of the shower running could be heard.

"Well…I guess Nora's going first" Jaune said after a moment.

"Yeah, she really likes her hot showers. Their pretty much the only thing that can really get her up in the morning." Ren replied.

Jaune nodded; he was still learning all these little things about his teammates. Less then a week together was only enough time to scratch only the surface of who they were as people and what their habits were. He did have much experience with fighting with his sisters over using the bathroom and hoped that it wouldn't be so bad here.

Jaune quickly looked at the clock and saw that there wasn't a lot of time left before classes started. Pyrrha would be back soon and she would need to use the shower as well and they would than need to grab some breakfast.

"I'll get a shower later." Jaune said as he started to undo his onesie and awkwardly pull his left arm out. "Hey, so what do you think we should do this weekend?"

"I don't have much of a preference. I do need to buy some shampoo but beside that I'm okay with…with…with…"

Ren was stuttering due to Jaune having completely removed his onesie. A question that Ren hadn't been wondering was suddenly answered; did Jaune wear boxers under his onesie? The answer was a definitive…no.

"Yeah, we should all pick up some basic necessities. Beacon got most of it covered but you never know. Right…Ren?"

Jaune's only response was the dorm's door being slammed shut and he found himself suddenly alone. Jaune pondered why his teammate had rushed out and settled on that he must have really needed to use the bathroom and had gone to use the dormitory's public washroom.

A small draft had entered from the brief time the door was open and it quickly reminded him of his current state of undress. He hurriedly put on his clothes, chastising himself over being so careless. There was a girl just in the bathroom and another was probably be returning soon; what would happen if they had seen him naked? At best, they would probably scream and run away.

He had to remember he wasn't at home with his own room anymore and thus he had to take care to be decent at all times. He was lucky it hadn't caused any problems this time.

Outside, at the end of the hall, Ren was leaning against the wall and was trying to steady both his breathing and his rapidly beating heart. His face was bright red, and it had taken everything to not scream loudly while running out of the room.

That was a guy's…a boy's…gahhhh! Ren had been able to avoid such situations while at Combat School, sharing a room with only Nora and never using the boy's locker room to change. It hadn't occurred to Ren that such a situation might happen with Jaune on the team. Ren really didn't have much experience when it came to spending time around boys.

" _Other boys…"_ The flustered ninja mentally corrected himself before coughing lightly. After a few more moments of steady breathing, Ren headed to the building's public washroom, intending to splash some very cold water on his hot face.

Beacon was going to have some unique challenges for Lie Ren it seemed.

* * *

Jaune knew nothing about Ren's reaction but had noticed that his face had been a bit red throughout the day.

"Ren seemed a bit red in the face and flustered all day, so maybe he's feeling under the weather. Have you checked the Nurse's Office?"

Nora shook her head. "No, but Ren would definitely have told me if they was feeling sick. Instead, Ren's just been kind of weird all day." The pink Valkyrie shook her head before turning back to Jaune. "How's the arm? It's not hurting or anything?"

Jaune raised his right arm, now free of the cast, and waved it around a bit. It had finally been taken off just after lunch. While a bit sore and stiff, it was otherwise completely healed.

"It's fine, really." Jaune answered. This was the third time today she had asked that and several more times over the preceding week. No matter what he said, she continued to worry and fret, insisting that she carry his school bag. He didn't blame her at all for what happen, but she still wanted to make things right.

Nora was a really sweet girl.

"You know, Ren's really lucky to have you Nora." Jaune found himself saying. "You're always trying to make sure everyone else is fine and happy."

Nora blushed at the surprise compliment. "I, umm, well…" She really didn't know how to react to that; even Ren didn't say those kinds of things very often.

That thought clued her in to what Jaune was implying. "Me and Ren are together but not together-together or anything. We've known each other and…basically lived together for a long time but we're just good friends!"

The look Jaune gave showed he wasn't buying that. "There no need to deny it here, I'm not going to tell everyone one or anything. I think it's pretty clear that-"

"No!" Nora interrupted forcefully, surprising Jaune. She quickly turned aside and started fidgeting with her skirt. "We're together but not together-together. Ren has…made that very clear…on multiple occasions."

Jaune had to raise an eyebrow at this. It was clear as day that Ren and Nora had strong feelings towards each other. The night before Initiation he had spied how she had jumped on Ren's back when introducing herself to Ruby's sisters. They were almost inseparable throughout the day and just at lunch today he noticed that they had huddled together and were whispering to each other. They were a couple in all but name, though it seemed that there was a lot more going on then he realized.

Much more in fact, as that lunchtime huddle had been anything but romantic.

* * *

 _Flashback_

Beacon's cafeteria was, as usually, a chaotic affair. Team RWBY was again taking full advantage of the facility to stack their plates with as much food as possible. JNPR were more modest in their selection, though only slightly in Nora's case. They had gotten their food first and were waiting for RWBY to arrive.

She was just about to start digging in when a crash made her stop and turn to look. Jaune had fallen to the ground next to the table and spilled all his food over the floor. The cause of it wasn't due to any clumsiness, but the large, brown-haired boy standing next to him.

"Gotta watch where your going, Jauney-boy" Cardin sneered, barely trying to hide the fact that he had tripped Jaune. He quickly beat a retreat before any of Jaune's teammates could raise out of their seats. His cowardice was plain to see, as he completely avoided Team RWBY and the others of Team JNPR, going solely for the one unable to fight back.

A despicable bully, through and through.

Pyrrha got up and quickly went to her partner's aid, while Jaune tried to wave her off and state that he was fine. Nora remained in her seat, glaring daggers into the back of Cardin.

What he was doing was…not right. He was bullying Jaune as a way to get back at RWBY for humiliating him. He didn't have the backbone to directly challenge them, so he went after their friend. With Pyrrha giving such a great showing in Combat Class, she was out of the question and both Ren and Nora had good reputation for their skills and strength respectively. That left Jaune as the easiest, risk-free target.

For the last few days, Cardin had been relentless in picking on Jaune; tripping him constantly, bumping into his injured arm and once making his shield deploy in the classroom doorway, knocking him to the ground and getting him reprimanded by the teacher for not being more careful with his weapon.

They had all repeatably told him to go to the teachers and report Cardin but Jaune had refused. Cardin was crafty enough to always do these away from the teachers and where neither JNPR or RWBY could immediately react. One more harsh lesson in manners from RWBY would probably be enough to get him to back off but Jaune said that this was his problem to deal with. A real Huntsmen could handle any problem, be it human or Grimm.

It sounded like stupid male pride to Nora. The only reason Cardin was targeting Jaune was because his arm was broken, which was her fault. She wanted to help and glaring at the retreat form of Cardin Winchester, the only solution she could think of involved lots of violence.

" _Should break his legs._ " She thought darkly to herself, her anger building. " _Break his arms, break his face, break EVERYTHING!"_ Her muscles tensed as she began to envision bringing what she saw as righteous retribution to the person causing Jaune so much grief.

Jaune, who had been nothing but kind and generous and open to her…

Ren suddenly grabbed Nora's left hand, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked at her partner in confusion before realizing that her left hand wasn't on the table holding her fork. Unconsciously, she had dropped her fork and raised her hand to her neck; right to the released switch of her Limiter.

Nora slammed her hand back to the table and placed her other hand on top of it, as if to hold it in place. Her breathing quickened as panic gripped her. She had almost released her Limiter, unleashed her power in a crowded place. She…she could have hurt or killed so many people, would have. She was a monster, a complete monster!

Ren leaned in close to the hyperventilating Nora and gently placed one hand on her left arm and the other around her shoulder. If anyone had been looking closely, they would have noticed the two suddenly seemed to have lost their colour.

No one was looking, so Ren's use of his Semblance went unnoticed. Along with shielding people from the Grimm, it had a strong calming effect in general.

"Nora, breathe. It's alright, no one is hurt. It's okay…" Ren whispered over and over into her ear. Slowly, Nora began to calm down and her breathing steadied.

"I'm…I'm okay…" She said.

"Nora…you need to control it, control your temper." Ren chastised.

"I know, I just…"

"You have to control it! I won't always be here to fix it." Ren's voice grew hard and cold, as it often did during these episodes.

"I know!" She growled back. The two locked eyes for several moments before Ren looked down. Nora followed and noticed that his gentle grip was now digging into arm. Ren immediately let go and muttered an apology.

Jaune and Pyrrha returned, Jaune having a new tray of food. Ren only glanced at Jaune before turning away with a blush. Nora had no idea what that was about and went back to being her happy-go-lucky self just as Team RWBY arrived. Even if she wasn't feeling joyful, she had learned that it was better to pretend then to wallow in the truth of what she was.

Anything was better then that.

* * *

Nora took a deep breathe to settle herself. Despite the conflicted emotions she felt towards Ren right now, she always wanted to stick extra close to him after one of her episodes just in case. It was safer for everyone that way.

Jaune looked on with concern. "Nora…are you and Ren okay? If you need me to talk to him or something, I'll gladly help. I'm you team leader after all."

"No, no. This…it's just a little personal thing between us. You don't need to bother yourself with it."

Jaune turned away and leaned against the railing. "Yeah…don't need me mucking things up even more. I'm a pretty sorry excuse for a leader…"

Nora turned in shock. "W-hat? No. I didn't mean it like that. I just…you are doing a great job so far." She walked up and stood beside him, concern written on her face.

"So far…how longs that going to last?" Jaune said, his voice tight. "Nora I…I don't belong here. I didn't go to Combat School or anything like that. I faked my transcripts and its only dumb luck that I made it even this far. Pyrrha's being treated unfairly in Combat Class, you and Ren are having problems while I can't even deal with a single jackass bully. And if Ruby and her team were suddenly in a bind, I would be no help at all. I'm absolutely useless."

Nora didn't know what to say. Despite her friendly attitude, she never had any other friends besides Ren before coming here, so she didn't know how to comfort and help someone when they were in need. Hell, Ren had a huge ongoing issue and she was no help there at all.

Going with her gut, she gently laid her hand on his arm.

"Well, you're here now and I don't think you're useless at all. But if you think you need to improve yourself, Beacon is the best place to do that. If you need to get stronger, then I'm more then willing to help."

Jaune looked down at the short girl, a smile slowly coming to his face. "Thanks, I appreciate it. Though I doubt I'll improve a lot."

"You hadn't seen what kind of training I do." Nora laughed softly. "When I'm done with you, you'll be one of the strongest here. You'll be so good, you'll be sweeping all the other girls off their feet and into your…not-harem."

Nora was worried that she may have crossed a line there, given his early reaction to that word, but his happy chuckles let her know he knew what she meant.

"I don't think it works that way. Besides, I don't want a huge number of partners or anything." Jaune turned aside slightly. "And they don't all have to be girls…"

Nora raised an eyebrow at that little revelation but didn't say anything. Her question must have shown clearly on her face though.

"I was always taught that love had no boundaries, not one, and it up to you to find what makes you happy. I was raised in a polyamorous family and that's was normal for me, what loved looked like. I would like to have something like that, but that's for the future. I'm at Beacon to be a Huntsmen, not pick up future wives or husbands. Not that I have any experience with girls or guys, but relationships are something I know you have to work on over a long time."

Jaune looked over at darkening sky, slowing nodding to himself.

"I would guess that being a Huntsmen wouldn't be much different. It something that needs lots of work to do and if its something that I really want, I can't give up so easily."

A bright smile came to his face as he looked back at Nora. "Thanks, Nora. I really needed that."

"Seems to me that you mostly convinced yourself." Nora replied with a smile of her own. "So, do you want my help with training?"

"I…I'm not sure. Part of me wants to do this on my own but another part realizes that I'll need all the help can get to catch up. Give me some time to think about it, okay? Let's focus on just having fun this weekend and leave training for next week."

Nora nodded and turned back to watch the sunset with Jaune. For a little while, she forgot about her earlier episode, her anxiety over it and her desire to find where Ren was. She found herself completely at ease around Jaune and it wasn't until much later that she realized how strange that was.

Neither of the two teens noticed the white figure eavesdropping at the doorway, and who quickly dashed away when they were finished talking. Nor did they know that someone else was listening in at the window below; listening in and planning.

The weekend began tomorrow, and it was going to be eventful.

* * *

 **That's the end of this JNPR-focused chapter. There will be more of these in the future, as I do like JNPR and will be making them a major part of this story, but I will try and spread them out. The next chapter will probably be fairly short, with a speedy conclusion to the Bully Arc, after which we will be heading into the Volume 1 finale.**

 **Atlesian Suplex = German Suplex. This and more Pro-Wrestling moves will be showing up in this story.**

 **One aspect of the show that I wish was done was to highlight what an average Huntsmen's skills were and how the main characters stacked up against that. Pretty much everyone is supposed to either be a famous elite or are incompetent. There were times while watching that I wondered why this particular group of young warriors is so special over anyone else, especially when their fighting skill were sometimes inconsistent.**

 **For this story, Team RWBY are among the best of their generation and when fighting together, are almost unstoppable. Pyrrha is still the single best fighter out of the group, but not by as large a margin as in canon.**

 **Team JNPR will be in their own polyamorous relationship and after this chapter is should be clear that the first focus will be on JaunexNora. This is one of my favorite pairing and will be getting a lot of attention from me. Arkos and Renora will be there of course, just that there going to a bit later down the line. Ren and Nora have some very serious issues to work through first, which we will be going more into later.**

 **I've decided to go back and remove the instances where the Xiao Long Sisters kissed each other on the lips. These are only pecks, but it seems to have put off some people. I've decided to have the Sisters only start kissing each other on the lips when their relationship starts to become fully romantic and it will be a fairly big thing for them.**

 **I've also changed Ruby's last name from Rose to Xiao Long-Rose in all the previous chapter except the first. The main reason is that the phrase, 'Xiao Long Sisters' can go back and forth as to whether it includes Ruby or not. I want to include all the girls together, as them being a single unique unit is important to this story. Story-wise, Ruby was born as Ruby Rose but later changed her name to Xiao Long-Rose because she wanted to share her name with her sisters while still honouring her mother. Many adults will still call her Miss Rose, to specifically identify her and to highlight her position as Summer's biological daughter. The phrase 'elder Xiao Long Sisters' will refer to Yang, Blake and Weiss.**

 **Thank you all for the support and please continue to leave reviews, as they really help. I welcome any ideas you may have for this story, as there is still a lot I'm figuring out as I go. Case in point, the notion that Pyrrha had an older brother who died in the same shipwreck that sent Weiss and Blake to Patch, and thus linking her to this story's first major event, only occurred to me halfway through writing this chapter. I can't say what I'll use and when, but I appreciate it none the less. I also ask for feedback on this story, not just the broad story and the pairings but also the smaller things like the unique character quirks I've introduced.**

 **I also apologize for any spelling and grammar mistakes in this and previous chapters. I do try and proofread these chapters, but a lot still slips by me, especially near the end as I'm rushing to finish the chapter. If there are any major mistakes, please don't hesitate to PM me.**

 **That's all for now, so thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.**


	9. Chapter 9 : Bully at Your Own Risk

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY**

 **Chapter 9: Bully at Your Own Risk**

 _Eight Years ago_

In schools, teachers were not supposed to play favorites and were instead to treat all their students equally, but that was rarely the case. There were always that handful of students that went that extra mile, that were especially dutiful, diligent and respectful. Adults always took a shine to children like that and that was certainly the case for young Weiss Xiao Long.

Calling her a 'teacher's pet' would have been an understatement; she was the darling of the faculty at Patch Elementary. All of the teachers adored her, with her intelligence, diligence and eloquence leaving them stunned. She was already reading at a much higher level then any other of the nine-year-olds and there were already talks of her perhaps skipping some grades and graduating early. Weiss had so far rejected such suggestions, saying she wanted to stay with her sisters, but it was clear that she had an exceptionally bright future ahead.

That made it all the stranger that on this particular day Weiss, the Princess of the Playground, was sitting outside the principal's office with a black eye, busted lip and bruised knuckles.

Yang was sitting to her right occasionally standing up to pace angrily around for a few moments before sitting down again. She was the usual culprit and had much experience sitting out here after getting into a fight. However, in this instance she was completely innocent and that was the reason she was so angry.

Blake was sitting on the chair to her left but was wrapping her arms around Weiss and holding her so closely that she was almost sitting on her sister's lap. Her tears had stopped some time ago, but Weiss's shoulder was still damp. The white-haired girl gently stroked her twin's head, careful to not touch her cat-ears, all the while staring intently ahead.

It was this odd and concerning scene that Summer Rose saw as she arrived at the school, having hurried from the house when she got the call from the principal. When she heard that one of her daughter's was in trouble, she had immediately thought that it was Yang again, as her little spit-fire had a habit of solving playground disputes with her fists first. She was shocked and confused when the principal clarified that it had been Weiss who had gotten into a fight, with three older boys no less. Blake was also involved somehow and so Summer rushed on over as fast as possible.

Summer looked over her children, taking in Weiss's injuries while keeping emotion from her face. She calmly walked up and kneeled down in front of Weiss, looking her daughter in the eye.

"Weiss…can you tell me what happened?" she asked softly.

Weiss still had an intense look but was avoiding looking directly at her mother. Yang looked like she was about to speak up, but a sharp gesture from Summer kept her silent. The eldest sister was often trying to stand up and defend her siblings and that was an incredible and endearing trait but sometimes the others needed to stand on their own.

Weiss breathed deeply, still not looking at her mother. "I…they…they deserved it…"

'Weiss." Summer tone was hard. "Hurting people is never the right thing to do. There are other ways of dealing with a problem before turning to violence." This parental lecture may have been slightly hypocritical for a Huntress like Summer, who had fought both Grimm and criminals, but children needed a solid moral foundation to grow into good people; complicated grey areas could come later

Blake turned her head to look at her and Summer fully saw her red eyes and tear-stained face. "Please Momma, don't be mad at her" she pleaded in a shakily voice. "It was all my fault…"

Summer let out a sigh. "Honey, I'm sure that not the case. We need to take responsibility for our…" She was cut as Blake let out a yelp of pain. Summer had reached out to scratch Blake's cat ear, a common gesture of affection, but as soon as her finger touched the tip, her daughter recoiled away in pain.

"Oh! I'm sorry Sweetie!" Summer said hastily, concerned and confused as to what happened.

"They…they were pulling on her ears." Weiss said, balling her fists. "Those boys were pulling her ears and calling her a freak. I think they were really trying to tear them off. There were no teachers around and I didn't know were Yang was. I was so angry and I…hurt them. I hurt them for hurting Blake…and I kept hurting them until I knew they would never hurt her again"

Summer could only stare at her daughter, conflicting feelings swirling in her mind. She gently kissed Blake on the temple and Weiss on the forehead; this was a lot more complicated then she thought.

"Are these the little brutes that attacked my son?" a shrill voice filled the hallway and made the Xiao Long Family turn their heads. A group of adults were standing there, the parents of the boys who had been bullying Blake and who Weiss had attacked. At the head was a woman with far too much jewelry and far too much makeup on, a look of utter contempt on her face.

"My precious little boy is unconscious in the Nurse's Office because of you little monsters. Both he and his friends will probably have to go to the hospital; they're probably scarred for life!" the woman looked down at Summer. "Are you the mother of these children? What are you teaching them, making them into violent psychopaths? I'll see that they're expelled before suing you for everything you own and…"

Summer stood up and swirled around to fully face her. Her body language and face were still calm and collected, but her eyes screamed murder. They plainly said that if you tried to hurt her daughters, her babies, she would end you…slowly…

The gaudy woman fell silent and took a step back, losing her balance and falling to the ground. None of the other parents moved to help her, struck still by the gaze of the silver-eyed Huntress. The principal emerged from his office at the sound of the commotion but found he couldn't even speak despite not being the target of Summer's intent.

This continued for several very uncomfortable minutes until Taiyang came running in, having rush as quickly as he could from Signal after being called in by the principal. A quick look at the scene was all he needed before he slowly walked up to Summer and laid a hand on her arm. That broke the spell and Summer turned, breathing out angrily. Taiyang took charge, shepherding everyone into the principal's office so they get to the bottom of things in a more civilized manner. He made sure to stay between Summer and the gaudy woman, with his normally gentle lover giving one last murderous glare before following.

Going over the events, it because very clear that it was the three older boys who were at fault, having started the incident by bullying Blake and pulling on her ears. Weiss saw this and had thrown herself at them in defence of her sister, knocking all of them out while receive only fairly minor wounds in return, quite a remarkable feat.

Still, Weiss hadn't shown much mercy and violence was still violence. Stomping on one of the boy's ankles and kicking another hard in the crotch were pretty brutal attacks for a young child to do. The accusation that Weiss had picked up of the boys and suplexed him was however quite ridiculous and her parents successfully argued that it had been made up, though they privately had their doubts.

At the end, the three boys were suspended for a week while Weiss was given a month of detention. Privately, the principal assure them that if Weiss behaved herself, then they wouldn't put this down on her permanent record. Neither Summer nor Taiyang liked the concept of the teachers playing favorites but it was for their own daughter's benefit, so they accepted it for now. None of the other parents were very happy with this but no one wanted to risk Summer's rage again, so they accept this arrangement.

Afterwards, while Taiyang was finishing up with the principal, Summer return to her daughters and took Weiss off to the side. She kneeled in front of her again, trying to think about what to say.

"I hate them…" Weiss said softly. "I hate boys, all of them. Their dirty and gross and mean…their all just…fucking bastards."

"Weiss!" Summer hissed, making the white-haired girl flinch. Weiss tried hard not to swear, knowing that her parents hated it, but it still slipped out sometimes.

Summer could only shake her head angrily; she was seriously going to kill Qrow for teaching Weiss how to swear. She didn't care how much he said he was innocent; he was the only one who could have possibly influenced her like that.

Still, it was little strange that it was Weiss out of all her children that used words like that…

Summer focused back on her daughter. "Weiss, you should never be so free with hating people. The world has too much reckless hate in it already and so many good people are hurt by it. Please, my Little Snow Angel, don't add more to it. Make the world a better place with your actions, not worse."

Weiss stared back at her mother for a moment before nodding. Summer smiled and patted her head, which made Weiss smile in turn.

"Now, you still shouldn't have beaten those boys up. Yes, what they were doing was horrible, but you should have tried to find another way. And if violence is your only resort, then only use the bare minimum needed. A couple of hits and those boys would have probably run away; Blake would be safe and you would be facing a much lighter punishment".

The young girl frowned; part of her knew that but seeing her twin being tormented had caused her to throw all rational thought out the window.

"Still…" Summer continued. "I'm proud of you for sticking up for your sister when she needed you. Only by standing up to injustice can we stop it."

The Huntress gentled grasped Weiss by the shoulders. "I want you to promise me that you'll only use violence to defend others; never more then what is needed. You must use your abilities to help others, not just your family or close friends but anyone who is in need. Promise?"

Weiss nodded eagerly. Fight the bad guys to defend the weak? That basically made you a hero. Her parents were heroes she knew and she wanted to be just like them, so it was an easy promise. She stopped when she thought what 'everyone' would have to include.

"I still don't like them…boys I mean. I'll help them if it's the right thing to do but I'll never like them" Her father and uncle were obviously exempt from that rule, along with most of the male adults and teachers she knew, but boys her age just seemed to have no redeeming qualities at all.

Summer barked a laugh; Weiss was still a child after all.

"Oh Sweetie. You say that now, but in a couple more years, you'll be singing a different tune."

The look of serious skepticism on Weiss's young face made her laugh again. Standing up, she took her daughter by the hand, her shoulder still shaking with mirth. They walked down the hallway together, to where the rest of their family was waiting.

Ruby was there now, having being excused from her class. The school day was almost over, so it was easier for them to all go home together. The little girl had no idea what was going on, being simply overjoyed to be getting out of class early and to be leaving with her entire family. She was hugging Blake by the waist and the cat-girl was already looking much better, the simple affections of her little sister doing wonders.

Weiss looked at her family, this group that had been complete stranger just a few years ago but were now the moist important people in her life. She gripped her mother's hand tightly as she swore to always protect her family and to always make her mother proud.

* * *

 _Present Day_

The halls of Beacon were noticeably different from Patch Elementary but they gave off the same feeling, a feeling that seemed universal to all centres of learning. They were completely empty, as it was early in the morning on a Saturday, so Weiss was alone with her thoughts. Her mind wandered back to that day eight years ago when she had walked down different yet similar halls beside her mother, her feelings from that day were contrasting with what she was feeling right now and it was frustrating her to no end.

Her desires and conscience were battling with one another and it was the reason why she was up so uncharacteristically early. She had barely gotten any sleep last night and she had thrown on her clothes and left the dorm as soon as the sun rose, before any of her sisters had woken up.

Weiss almost growled out loud and had to resist the urge to pull on her ponytail. It shouldn't be this difficult of a choice to make and certainly shouldn't be making her lose any sleep over it.

Of course, it would be that Arch-Pervert that would be causing her this distress; that boy seemed to be a walking headache.

She didn't mean to eavesdrop on Jaune and Nora's conversation last evening. She had stayed behind in the library after the study group to get ahead on her classwork and it was evening by the time she headed back to the dorm. She spotted Nora out of the corner of her eye; she seemed to be looking for something. She followed her, struggling to keep up as the energetic red-head bounded through the halls, searching rooms and corridors quickly before moving on.

After losing her for a bit, she heard her talking with someone and followed the noise to the dorm's rooftop. Peeking through the doorway, she saw that Nora was standing beside Jaune and that the two were talking.

Weiss's curiosity got the better of her and she quietly listened in, catching Jaune's confession about his transcript. After the two were done talking, she quickly retreated back to her dorm before she was caught, a wide smile on her face.

Finally, she had a way to get rid of the Arch-Pervert and keep him away from Ruby once and for all. A tip to the faculty would get them to investigate Jaune and soon enough he would get expelled, free both teams from his vile lechery. Just that day, he had 'accidentally' brushed his hand against Ruby's as they both reached down to grab a pencil that she had dropped. It had taken the elder Xiao Long Sisters every ounce of willpower not to tear him apart right then and there.

These measures may seem extreme to some, but it was important to know that these were the same girls who once obliterated an apple tree after it dared to drop one of its fruits on their baby sister's head. Emotional overreaction was their bread and butter.

Weiss's own emotions quickly soured as she really started to think her plan through. It was a quiet way to get rid of Jaune without directly going their promise to Ruby, so everything should be great.

But why did she feel like such shit for wanting to do this?

All throughout the night and now into this morning, she kept mulling over the plan to get Jaune expelled, her desire to see the last of the Arch-Pervert was running up against the voice in her head telling her that it was wrong.

Walking through the halls brought her back to that day at Patch Elementary, where she got in trouble for beating the snot out of trio of bullies and when her mother gave her advice on when and where to use violence to protect people. Although her assertion that Weiss would eventually come to like boys had proven to be wrong, her words on protecting those in need had stayed with her for all these years. Knowing that Cardin was bullying Jaune brought her no joy, only the anger she felt whenever she saw someone being bullied by jerks.

Her plan amounted to hurting Jaune with information she had effectively stolen; how did that make her any better then Cardin? While his lechery was clear to her, he also just went through a week with a broken arm and was struggling to get by, so doing this would be like kicking him while he was down. Jaune had been a very kind and helpful person so far, and sometimes Weiss forgot that he was an Arch-Pervert.

That was actually quite strange and Weiss was beginning to wonder if she was missing something about him…

The white Xiao Long stopped in front of one of the classrooms and let out a deep sigh. She couldn't live with herself if she went through with this. Getting Jaune expelled like this would go against the promise she made to her mother; she would be hurting someone and not making the world a better place. She understood that there was a lot of nuisance in justice and right vs wrong but a large part of her still clung to the simple, child-like notions of what a true hero was.

Doing this was not what a true hero would do, so no manner what she might want, this plan was out of the question.

She angrily rubbed her tired eyes. Belatedly she realized that she probably should have discussed this with Yang and Blake. They would have probably have gone through the same set of emotions; joy at having a way to get rid of Jaune before confusion and doubt set in. They would have reached the same conclusion as Weiss just did but it certainly would have been faster with all three of them. At the very least Weiss could have saved herself a sleepless night.

She stretched and let out a big yawn. There was nothing for it, so she might as well get some actual exercise in before heading back to the dorm. They had a big day today and she was planning on getting the most out of it as possible no matter what.

The classroom door swung open suddenly and a startled Weiss took a few hurried steps back. The lights were off inside the room and no one should be using it on a weekend. Her question of who could possibly be in there was answered when the boy she least wanted to see right now emerged form the doorway.

Jaune looked like he had gotten even less sleep then Weiss. He had dark bags under his eyes and his school uniform was amess, like he hadn't changed out of it since yesterday. He was shocked to see Weiss standing there and his mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to think of something to say.

Weiss was at a loss for words as well; she had just been contemplating about how to kick him out of Beacon after all. She did notice that large jar of Red Sap held under his arm. A quick glance behind him confirmed that this was Professor Peach's classroom and she was known to keep a store room filled with various chemicals and ingredients that she used to teach her class.

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Jaune…what are you doing?" she asked, her voice low and serious. If on top of everything he was also a thief, then she might just change her mind again on getting him expelled.

'It's…ummm…it's not what you think!" he stammered out.

"Oh really…. then what is it?" Weiss's icy glare made it clear that she expected nothing less then the absolute truth.

"I…I'm in trouble. Big trouble." He admitted, his shoulders shagging. "Some…someone found out something really important and they're blackmailing me. I don't know what their going to do or why they need a jar of Red Sap, but it can't be good."

Jaune shook his head and his voice grew frantic and pleading. "I don't know what to do! If I go to the teachers, they'll learn my secret and I'll be expelled. But I can't just dump this on my teammates. I'm their leader so I should be strong enough to deal with this myself. But I can't do anything right! Beacon is supposed to be for the absolute best, so where does someone as weak as me get off dreaming I could be more then I am? I should just quit and-"

The distressed leader of JNPR was cut off as Weiss slapped him hard across the face. Jaune staggered back a bit and look at the short, petite girl with a shocked expression. Weiss stared back, her eyes blazing with rage and her bared clenched tight.

"No…" She breath out, "No! You don't get to just quit know that things are a little hard. Being a Huntsmen isn't some game that you can walk away because it not going your way. I will not let anyone degrade what me and my sisters are trying to accomplish, have accomplished. If life hands you a bad hand, then you don't just throw in the towel; you make the best of it with what you got. If you just lay down and take it, then you deserve all the crap being handed to you. Nora, Ren and Pyrrha deserve much better than this, so for their sakes and yours, you should stop whining like a little bitch and man the fuck up!"

Weiss's face was flushed and she was breathing heavily as she finished. Her emotions towards Jaune had just gone through several roundabouts, so this sudden encounter made it all boil up at once. She knew that being a Huntsmen wasn't for everyone and that it was probably for the best for someone to quit if they weren't capable before they or another got hurt but coming from Jaune made it seem like one big insult. She and her sisters had poured so much blood, sweat and tears into getting this far, so Jaune's attitude seemed to be spitting on all their hopes and dreams.

She wasn't being fair to him, at all, but her feelings towards Jaune weren't very balanced or fair to begin with.

The blonde knight could only start at Weiss, shocked by both the slap and the harsh tirade that came out of the normally reserved and graceful girl. After several moments in stunned silence, his own eyes grew hard and he balled his hands into fists.

Weiss thought that he was going to retaliate and braced herself, not planning on giving an inch if it came to words or blows, but was surprised by what he said next.

"You're right" Jaune said in a loud whisper. "You're absolutely right. I can't just roll over and give up. You and everyone else are giving it your all and I can't do any less. Even if it kills me, I shouldn't just give up on this dream when it goes a little wrong; that would be letting not only myself down, but my team and my friend. If I did that, I wouldn't be able to call myself a man."

Jaune turned aside and let out a small laugh. "Geez, I came to this same conclusion yesterday, but I backtracked the moment things got a little tough again. I'm really pathetic, aren't I?" Jaune nodded to himself a few times. "Pathetic…but I'm still going to give it my all."

He turned back to Weiss and gave her a big smile. "Thanks, I really needed that."

"N-no problem…" Weiss muttered, very surprised with this turn of events. She had never been thanked for swearing at someone, let alone smacking them.

Jaune nodded, more to himself then to Weiss, and moved passed her into the hallway. "I have to take of this first. Tell the others to head out to the city without me; I'll catch up later."

With that, he took off running down the hall, leaving Weiss standing alone in the hallway. She realized only after he was out of sight that Jaune was still holding the stolen jar. She thought about going after him before quickly deciding that he could deal with the consequences of his actions himself.

With a spring in her step, she took off in the other direction, intending to take a nice long walk back to her dorms before heading out to the city with the others. After a sleepless night, she figured that she was more then entitled to take her time and just enjoy the day.

* * *

Jaune hurried down the hall, towards one of the smaller courtyards where Cardin had told him to bring the jar of Red Sap. He only now realized that he had gone through with the theft, but it was too late to go back now. He needed to see this through to the end, no matter what.

It seemed like Fate was being cruel to him, as right after Nora had left last night after helping him out of his depression, he was cornered by Cardin on his way back to the dorm. He had overheard Jaune confess about his transcripts and blackmailed him to steal Red Sap from Professor Peach's classroom and bring it to this spot by mid-morning. He claimed that this little thing was all he needed to do for Cardin to keep his silence. The bully then left before Jaune could get a word in, leaving him very distressed and uncertain of what to do.

Jaune was left in a very bad situation, with no clear way forward. He entered the dorm quietly and, seeing that the others were all asleep, laid down on his bed without changing his clothes. He didn't get any sleep, his mind focused on this new problem. He looked over at his sleeping teammates and couldn't help but feel that he was letting them down again. All the positive feelings he had felt after his talk with Nora had evaporated and he was back to feeling that he was unworthy of being at Beacon. Even before the sun had risen, he had gotten up and left the room, heading for Professor Peach's classroom while hoping desperately for some way out of this.

He was surprised to find Weiss standing outside of the classroom just as he was leaving and he didn't know why confessed all his feelings to her after deciding not to go to his teammates; the shock and stress of it all must have gotten to him. It turned out to be a blessing, as the hard slap and harder words were just what he needed to really wake up.

He had been only thinking about himself, about how this was affecting him. His doubts about letting his teammates down was really just another way to feel sorry for himself; if he truly cared about them, then he needed to stand up and act.

"Hey Jauney-boy. Looks like you got the goods. I just knew you had it in you."

Jaune turned to the side and saw Cardin with the rest of his team standing in the corner, smug grins on all their faces. Jaune only frowned in returned and held the jar out in front of him.

"Yeah, I got it. Why do you need this stuff anyway?" Jaune was curious as to what the hell Cardin was up to.

"Oh, I got a plan for it, I assure you." Cardin walked to Jaune and put a hand on his shoulder in what might to seen as a friendly gesture. The look on his face and the tone of his words was anything but. "I just need you to do one more thing for me."

"You said that this was all had I to do!" Jaune countered, angry but not surprised that Cardin was going back on his word.

"Well, I'm altering our little deal. I'd go along with it if I were you. If not, I may just let slip to the teachers that one of my fellow students is here on falsified transcripts." Cardin's grin widened at Jaune's angry silence. He took a few steps back and stood between Jaune and the rest of CRDL.

"It's going to be a real easy thing, I assure you. I got a really killer plan cooked up." Cardin's team looked on with eager expression; Cardin had apparently kept them in the dark as well in regards to what he was up to.

"All you got to do it hide that jar in a bag and go out with the others on that little trip to the city that you've all been going on about all week. All you got to do is keep quiet and wait for me to give you the signal."

Cardin seemed to revel in the confused looks, like a stage performer gearing up the crowed for the big reveal. "See, I know a guy who can get me a box of Rapier Wasps, nasty little bugs who love sweets things. They'll rush towards whoever is covered with that Red Sap and sting the crap out of them, making them swell up like a balloon."

"So, you want me to cover one of Team RWBY with this sap?" Jaune asked. He knew enough to know that all of this was just a mean to get back at RWBY for humiliating him earlier.

"Not just anyone one." Cardin had a truly cruel grin on his face now. "You're going to throw that jar at that cape-wearing Ruby. When those dumb bitches see their 'precious baby sister' in trouble, they'll rush to her side. That's when I'll released the Wasps and get all four of them at once. That will turn their 'best day ever' into a total nightmare."

"Oh man Cardin, you're a genius. A tactical genius!" Russel exclaimed. The rest of CRDL shouted their approval as well, seeing it as the perfect payback prank.

Jaune didn't share their joy, horrified and sicken by what Cardin wanted to do. Ruby herself hadn't done anything to Cardin but he was going to hurt her as a mean to get at her sisters. He didn't care who got hurt, so long as he got his revenge.

And he wanted Jaune to help him do it.

"So, you see, it a real simple thing you need to-"

"Go fuck yourself, Cardin" Jaune said calmly, interrupting the bully in mid-speech. The larger boy looked over with a shocked expression; an expression that quickly turned to anger.

"I'm sorry Jauney-boy. I must have mis-heard you" he growled out. "What was that you said?"

"Sorry, I guess I must have mumbled." Jaune replied, still icy calm. "You should always be clear when speaking to others. What I said was…" Jaune suddenly grasped the jar of sap and hurled it at Cardin. It broke against his chest and cover it with its sticky contents.

" **GO FUCK YOURSELF!"** Jaune roared. He was done listening to this bastard. If he wanted to hurt and humiliate Jaune, that was one thing. But going after Jaune's friends and expecting him to help, that was another. No matter the consequences, he wasn't going to let anyone hurt his friend.

And there were going to be consequence, going by the look of pure rage in Cardin's face. No matter, Jaune would face it all if it meant protecting those he cared about.

* * *

Outside of Beacon's dorms, Team RWBY and JNPR, minus Weiss and Jaune, were getting ready to head out. They were all dressed in casual clothes and had everything they needed to go out; except for their missing teammates of course.

"Well, have you gotten hold of Weiss?" Pyrrha asked Yang, who was currently texting on her scroll. They were all a little worried as to where Weiss and Jaune were, and since Jaune had left his scroll in the dorm, they were hoping they could get in touch with Wiess and get some answers.

"Yeah, she says that she was just out for a morning jog" Yang answered. "That's weird; she never gets up before the rest of us. Anyway, she says she'll be here soon and that she saw Jaune on her way. He told her he as some business to deal with and that we should head out without him."

The others frowned at this information. The whole point of this trip was to go about together, all eight of them. Jaune hadn't mentioned anything about any 'business' he would need to take care of on the weekend. Nora was especially troubled, as everything had seemed fine when she left him last night. Could she have maybe missed something?

Pyrrha and Ren were also concerned and the look on their faces made it clear that they didn't like the notion of just leaving Jaune behind.

"How about we take a walk around the campus?" Ruby suggested. "We can meet up with Weiss and see if we can catch sight of Jaune and find out what's up; It won't take us that long."

The others nodded at this and they headed out towards the courtyards, hoping to find some answers.

* * *

Weiss put her Scroll away and continued to walk down the hallway towards the dorms. Soon, she would meet up with the others, head out to the city and finally put all this tiring business with Jaune behind her. From what Yang had texted, his team was pretty worried about him. It would probably be on her to reassure them that their 'fearless' leader was fine. She didn't see what the issue was, he was just going to dig himself out of the problem he had gotten into.

It was at this point that the gears in Weiss's super-genius brain started to turn and began to quickly connect all the dots in regards to Jaune's situation.

Jaune said that he was being blackmailed into stealing a jar of Red Sap for some less-then-good plan. Given what she had learned last night, it was most likely that he was being blackmailed over his false transcripts. Someone else must have been listening in to that conversation and cornered right after she and Nora left. The only person she knew that would do something like that was Cardin Winchester, who had proven to be nothing but a cruel bully.

If it was Cardin that Jaune was going to meet with, he would surely have the rest of his team with him; he always seemed to have his lackeys close by. If Jaune was going to confront him and take a stand, he would be going against four other guys by himself. He was going to get his ass handed to him…because Weiss told him to man up.

"Oh shit!" The white Xiao Long shouted as she pivoted around and started running in the other direction. She might not like Jaune, but she would be damned if she sat back while someone got hurt because of her. Her abandoning of Jaune in the Emerald Forest during Initiation was conveniently forgotten at this moment as she rushed to find Jaune and save him before it was too late.

* * *

Jaune stumbled backwards, blood streaming from his nose and mouth. Several dark bruises were forming on his face, the result of Cardin smashing his fists into it repeatedly.

"You call that a punch? My little sister hits harder then you!" Jaune said, swaying as he tried to stay on his feet. Another blow sent him reeling, but he continued to stare back defiantly. "I've hurt myself worse by stubbing my toe. Come on!"

Cardin obliged and his next punch sent Jaune to the ground. The larger boy stared down at the fallen knight, his eyes blazing with rage and hatred. Everything was coming to a boil, the humiliation he had been dealing with returning now that this weak, pathetic loser standing against him. Cardin had solved most problems in his life with his fists and this time was no different.

Jaune got to his knees and lifted his head up. His lack of control of his Aura meant that he was taking these blows fully, but he accepted that this was something he had to bear. He looked up at the looming Cardin, his eyes shining with defiance.

"Do what you want with me…but I won't let you hurt my friends, you bastard!"

Russel, Sky and Dove, while pissed at Jaune for the lip he was giving their boss, were also getting unsettled with how this was escalating. This wasn't the best place to beat some sense into someone and they could easily get in trouble.

'Hey Cardin. Let's get out of here before someone shows up. We can deal with him later." Dove suggested. If they had to, they could go through with the threat and get Jaune expelled, but this was a bit much right now.

Cardin didn't appear to hear him, simply glaring back at Jaune. He wasn't really thinking about anything else beside his burning desire to hurt Jaune as much as possible. He clenched his fist and pulled his arm back, intending to put his full weight behind this punch.

Just as Cardin threw out his punch, a white figure dash into the courtyard and stood in front of Jaune. Cardin didn't have the time or frame of mind to stop, so his fist collided right into the newcomer's face.

A long moment passed as everyone present tried to process what just happened. Jaune looked up in shock at the back of the familiar white lab coat and Cardin was flabbergasted that instead of punching that dork knight's face, his fist had impacted the left cheek of Weiss Xiao Long.

He had thrown everything he had into that blow, and he was much bigger and heavier than the small girl and yet Weiss hadn't moved an inch. A dark bruise began to form on her cheek as Cardin slowly pulled his arm back; she had been so focused on getting here that her Aura hadn't activated.

But her eyes were blazing with anger and contempt and the larger boy found himself slowly backing away. He only got a half-step back before Weiss kicked him in the crotch so hard that he was lifted a few inches off the ground.

All the males present were winced at this and Cardin immediately bent over double. The sheer shock of the impact was what was taking his breathe away rather then any acute pain; that would come later. He struggled to raise his head and when he did, he saw Weiss looking down at him, her eyes still holding only cold rage towards him.

Weiss suddenly pulled her head back and slammed her forehead onto Cardin's in a vicious headbutt. The bully collapsed to the ground and his eyes rolled back as he was knocked out cold.

CRDL immediately rushed to their leader's side, pulling him to his feet and trying to wake him up. Any thoughts of retaliating were quashed as the rest of Team RWBY and JNPR walked into the courtyard. The six students took in the scene, the sight of their teammates bruised and injured and CRDL had six furious glares stopping them in their tracks.

"Get lost" Weiss said, throwing her ponytail over her shoulder in a decisive manner. "But remember to tell Cardin this when he wakes up; if he thinks of ever hurting Jaune or anyone else again, if he _says_ anything against him…I won't be as kind and merciful next time. Got it!"

CRDL all nodded and hurried to leave the area, dragging Cardin's limp body between them.

Jaune and Weiss's teams immediately rush to their sides and began fretting over them. Nora quickly hauled Jaune to his feet and began trying wipe the blood from his face while Blake fussed over her twin.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Jaune and Weiss said in unison, causing the two to look at each in surprise. Jaune gave a big smile and Weiss felt a slight tug on her lips, though she kept herself composed.

"Jaune, let me add something to what I told you before." Weiss's words made everyone stop and look at her. "You need to stand up for yourself yes, but you don't always have to do it alone. You have a great team to help bear any burden, as long as you let them. One's the loneliest number, believe me, so don't be afraid to stand up on your own while leaning on others for support. That's the best way I found to be the best you can be."

Jaune looked at Weiss for several moments before nodding determinedly. The others were a bit lost on all this but were happy that things seemed to be okay now.

Jaune looked at his teammates before nodding to himself. "Yeah, I'll do that. I got something really important to tell all you guys later, along with a real big favor."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's fine but we should get you taken care of first." Pyrrha said. Jaune's face had several bruises on it, but thankfully it didn't look too serious.

Team RWBY looked on, happy that things appeared to be okay. Yang turned to look at Weiss, an amused smile on her face. Her odd behavior this morning was starting to make sense now.

"If you knew something was up with, maybe you should have followed your own advice and let us know." Yang poked Weiss's injured cheek lightly, making the girl flinch back.

"Hey! It wasn't my fault; things just happened quickly and all at once." Weiss's defence rang a little hollow, but her sisters knew it wasn't a big deal.

"Well, if we want to go out today, we should probably get some coverup on you" Blake suggested as she too poked Weiss's cheek, causing her twin to slap her fingers away.

"I'll probably need some as well. Don't think they'll let us into the café if I look like I just came out of a prize fight." Jaune said, using a handkerchief Ren gave him to wipe the remaining blood from his face.

"Oh, you're an expert on this are you?" Yang asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, I am" Jaune shot back. "Remember, I got three moms and seven sisters. I know more about make-up, cover-up and other beauty products then I would ever want to know. Give me the tools and I can do it myself easily."

The girls all nodded, impressed by this. They started heading back towards the dorms, Yang running ahead to get their makeup kits ready while Nora insisted that Jaune lean on her for support. The blonde knight kept saying that he could walk on his own, but didn't try very hard to dissuade her. With any luck, they could get everything fixed up and be on their way for their day trip without any serious delay.

Before Weiss could follow along, Ruby ran up and kissed her gently on her uninjured cheek.

"What was that for?" Weiss asked.

"Just…an thank you for sticking up for Jaune when he needed it. I'm so happy that you've become such good friends with him." With that, Ruby dashed away to follow the group, leaving Weiss standing alone in the courtyard.

What was she saying? She wasn't friends with that Arch-Pervert! All she did was give him serious advice when he was down, slap some sense into him, protect him against bullies and…stick up for him when he needed it….

"Oh shiiiiiii-" Weiss barely bit back the curse as she realized that yes, she was now friends with Jaune. And friends don't let each other down, or conspire to get them killed and or kicked out of school. This meant that any future plan to get rid of Jaune was out of the question; her conscious would never let her do anything bad against him now.

Weiss slumped and let out a long sigh. There was nothing for it, she would just have to be the best friend to Jaune she could be. This whole situation had been pretty crazy and thinking about it, she could have probably solved it all without resorting to violence; Cardin was a coward and a hard stare would have probably sent him packing.

She straightens up and hurried to catch up with the others, a smile on her face.

She still felt satisfied with how things turned out. Ruby was happy, Jaune and his team were happy and somehow, she just knew her mother would be happy with her.

For now, that was enough.

* * *

 **Two years and only nine fairly short chapters released; not as good as I would have liked. Life, school and work have been a constant factor in limiting how much I can write, but I do want to do better. I'll be taking a short break from writing to deal with real-life stuff and then I want to get into a regular schedule of writing, which hopefully will result in a faster turnaround but I can't promise anything.**

 **With this chapter we deal with Cardin's bullying and begins to end Jaune's tenure as the 'Arch-Pervert'. I had initially planned to have Yang, Blake and Weiss think he was a bad guy for much longer and even prank him and such, with Ruby being blissfully unaware. But I also want Team RWBY and JNPR to become very close to one another and that can't happen if most of RWBY thinks Jaune is bad news, so the next chapter will pretty much end this gag.**

 **Next chapter will be bit of a time-skip to Volume 1's finale, which will see Blake get some of the spotlight and get the main plot of the series rolling. It will be a fairly long chapter, so I have no idea how long it will take to make.**

 **Some I had originally planned was to start off every chapter with a short flashback scene to the girls growing up and dealing with an issue that was related to what the chapter in the present was going to be about. That didn't happen but I may have a couple future chapters framed like this one, so tell me what think about this style of storytelling.**

 **Again, I welcome any and all idea for this story, as they have really helped me develop this story for the better. Particular shout out to** _ **Blooming Dark Flower**_ **and** _ **MaracaRin**_ **for the creative ideas in their reviews, as they really helped look at this story from an angle that I hadn't considered and develop this story into something better. That goes for all the reviews and PMs for this story, as they really motivate me and having another set of eyes read this story and make suggests on where it should go is very helpful. I have a good portion of this story figured out, so there are lots of ideas and paths that I won't be going down, and I may not be able to immediately explain why because of spoilers, but there is still lots up in the air. Either way, any thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.**

 **That's all for now, so please leave a review or PM and tell me what you thing. See you next time.**


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